Crime Report for 4/8

March 31

1510 Carlisle St.

Window broken on a 1998 Lexus between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. March 30. Nothing reported missing.

Temple Towers

Student reported receiving harassing phone calls from an acquaintance of her mother between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. March 30.

1622 N. 15th St.

Student reported an unknown person took his Xbox 360 from a common area of his apartment between 6 p.m. March 26 and 10 p.m. March 29.  No force found.

Paley Library, First Floor

Student reported an unknown person took his unattended cell phone between 5:45 p.m. and 6 p.m. March 31.

Paley Library, Third Floor

Student reported an unknown person took his unattended cell phone between 5:55 p.m. and 6 p.m. March 31.

1000 W. Diamond St.

Window broken on a 2001 Toyota and a duffle bag, DVD player and phone charger taken between 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. March 31.

3223 N. Broad St.

Employee reported an unknown person removed a brown leather wallet, containing $20, Pennsylvania driver’s license, credit cards and an old military ID between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. March 31 when it was left unattended on his desk. No forced entry found.

April 1

Paley Library, 1^st floor

Student reported an unknown person took her unattended cell phone between 2:50 p.m. and 2:55 p.m. April 1.

3500 N. Broad St.

Contractors reported an unknown person forcibly entered three basement rooms, breaking through ceiling drywall, and removed a variety of tools between 3:30 p.m. March 31 and 7 a.m. April 1.

Elkins Hall
Student reported an unknown person took his unsecured and unattended mountain bike between 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. April 1.

April 2

Temple Towers

Temple employee reported an unknown person removed a cordless power drill from the first-floor workshop between 4 p.m. March 27 and 9 a.m. April 2. No sign of forced entry.

TECH Center, Second Floor

Temple student reported an unknown person removed a wallet from her bag when it was left unattended between 10:58 p.m. and 11:05 p.m. April 1. Her wallet contained $55 and ATM card.

1520 N. 15th St.

Window broken on a 1996 Ford between 4 p.m. April 1 and 1:30 p.m. April 2. Nothing reported missing.

TECH Center, Second Floor

Student reported an unknown person took his backpack, external hard drive, calculator and three textbooks between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. April 2.

2100 N. 12th St.

Window broken on a 1992 Mitsubishi between 8 a.m. and 9:50 p.m. April 2. Nothing reported missing.

April 3

1520 N. 15th St.

Window broken on a 1994 Oldsmobile between 10 p.m. March 30 and 6 p.m. April 2. Nothing reported missing.

Kardon-Atlantic Terminal

Apartment manager reported a leather sofa, love seat and chair stolen and found in a student’s room. When confronted, the student refused to return the items. The furniture was removed by management staff and the student was referred to UDC.

Paley Library, Second Floor

Student reported an unknown person removed a wallet containing a Pennsylvania driver’s license, credit cards and flash drive from an unattended book bag between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. April 1.

Gladfelter Hall, Seventh Floor

Employee reported an unknown person removed a Dell computer, keyboard and mouse between 9:30 a.m. April 2 and 3 p.m. April 3. No force found.

1013 Cecil B. Moore Ave.

Window broken on a 1995 Nissan with CDs taken between 6 p.m. April 1 and 2 p.m. April 3.

1940 Residence Hall, Lobby

Two students attempted to enter the residence hall with six bottles of malt liquor in their possession at 8:55 p.m. April 3.  Referred to UDC.

April 4

University Village

An underage female student was transported to Temple Hospital by Medic 15 for treatment and observation of excessive consumption of alcohol. Referred to UDC.

1322 W. Montgomery Ave.

Campus Police arrested a non-Temple affiliated male on an outstanding warrant.

April 5

1300 Residence Hall

An underage male student attempted to enter residence hall with water bottle filled with vodka. Referred to UDC.

2012 N. Broad St.

Student reported an unknown male threw an unidentified object that broke his screen and glass window before fleeing into 2010 N. Broad St. at 3:20 a.m. on April 5.

2012 N. Broad St.

Student reported being harassed by two unknown males on the roof of 2010 N. Broad St. who attempted to spit and pluck cigarettes on him at 5:10 a.m. on April 5.

Ceta, Eighth Floor

Student reported an unknown person removed an HP laptop and wallet from his work area when they were left unattended between 9:45 a.m. and 11:50 a.m. on April 5.

1300 Residence Hall

An underage male student and guest attempted to enter residence hall with a bottle of Captain Morgan Rum.  Referred to UDC.
Ontario East Garage, Second Level

Window broken on a 2002 Acura with a Garmin GPS and iPod taken between 7 p.m. on April 8 and 8 a.m. on April 5.

3500 N. Carlisle St.

Non-Temple related male reported three unknown males took $444 and a Visa card from him at 8:07 a.m. on April 5 after pushing him to the ground and displaying a small knife.

April 6

White Hall

An underage female student was transported to Temple Hospital for treatment and observation of excessive consumption of alcohol after being observed intoxicated by resident assistant. Referred to UDC.

White Hall, Lobby

Campus Police observed an underage female with the odor of alcohol at 1:35 a.m. on April 6. Referred to UDC.

Kardon-Atlantic Terminal 

An adult male student was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital by Medic 15 for treatment and observation of excessive consumption of alcohol after being observed intoxicated. Referred to UDC.

Kardon-Atlantic Terminal

Student reported unknown person punched a hole in her apartment wall at 3 a.m. on April 6.

2030 N. 16th St.

Student reported being approached by an unknown male who demanded her purse, took it and fled west on Diamond Street at 1:15 a.m. on April 6.  No injuries reported.

Strong showing at Penn meet

A cool wind whispered along the field as sophomore Tim Boeni stood anxiously awaiting his turn in the long jump at Saturday’s Penn Invitational at Franklin Field.

When his turn finally came, Boeni sprinted toward the sand and launched himself into the breeze, landing 23-3 1/2 feet away from the take-off point. The distance earned Boeni first place in the event and qualified him for next month’s IC4A Championships in Princeton, N.J.

“He did a nice [job] on the long jump,” track and field coach Stefanie Scalessa said. “He’s looking very healthy.”

There’s nothing like being at home to bring out the heart in a competitor.

And the track and field teams were competitive at the unscored competition, which was the second outdoor meet for the Owls and the first held in Philadelphia for the squad this season.
Along with Boeni, the men’s team had two other IC4A qualifiers. Sophomore Brad McFadden qualified with a third-place time of 53.66 in the 400m hurdles, while the 4×100 relay team’s time of 42.04 also met IC4A standards and earned them a fourth place finish in the event.

The women’s team also made an impressive showing with freshman Assata Cowart pacing the way for the Owls three individual ECAC qualifiers. Cowart won the 400m with a 1:02.17 finish while fellow classmate Paris Williams captured second with her best effort of the season at 55.85.

Junior Devon DuPont finished second in the long jump with a qualifying distance of 18-9 1/4, while the 4×100 and 4×400 relay team’s finished first and second respectively to round out the list of ECAC qualifiers.

“It’s early yet,” Scalessa said. “Our team is young, and it’s great having the freshman performers. It definitely doesn’t hurt.”
Although the Owls were close to home, Scalessa said Temple’s success was carried by other factors.

“What was really nice was that the weather was so great,” Scalessa said. “It was also surprising the support we received from Temple students, alumni and Temple fans in general.”
With temperatures in the mid-60s both the men’s and women’s teams didn’t let their supporters down.

The Owls, who will return to Franklin Field in less than three weeks for the Penn Relays, recorded 16 top 10 finishes during the competition.

In addition to their IC4A and ECAC qualifers, the teams also had impressive showings from senior Marcos Edghill, whose 14th place showing in the 200m (22.48) was outdone by his own third place finish in the 100m (11.04). Senior Cheryl Anscombe (25.04) and junior Carlleen Allison (25.10) placed first and second, respectively, in the women’s 200m.

From the field, junior Amanda Cole continued her strong season, finishing first in the hammer throw with a distance of 168-8, while sophomore Grant West (167-3) and freshman Bob Keough (155-6) finished third and sixth in the event for the men’s team.

In the long jump, freshman Miles Dryden fell short of Boeni’s distance, finishing fourth (22-9 3/4). Meanwhile, sophomore Eric Pellini (176-4) and freshman Matt Kliwinski (167-1) finished eighth and 12th in the javelin.

This weekend, the Owls will travel to the University of Virginia for the Lou Onesty Invitational.

Matt Nadu can be reached at m.nadu@temple.edu.

Sports Rewind for 4/8

Men’s Basketball
Senior guard Mark Tyndale was among nine Atlantic Ten Conference men’s basketball players who were selected to participate in the 56th-annual Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia Wednesday. Sixty-four seniors will attend the four-day invitational, the nation’s oldest amateur tournament, which has produced more than 50 players who have gone on to either play or coach in the NBA.

Tyndale, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound Philadelphia-native, averaged 15.9 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game this season for the Owls.
Eddie Jones of the Dallas Mavericks, Aaron McKie of the Memphis Grizzlies and Mardy Collins of the New York Knicks are former Owls who are still active in the NBA.

Athletic Director on ESPN
Temple Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw was a guest on ESPN’s Outside The Lines Sunday.

Bradshaw, in his fifth year at Temple, was one of two guests who were interviewed on the topic of boosters in college athletics.

“There’s obvious benefits that are listed for donors at different levels which are very important to a lot of those donors,” Bradshaw told host Bob Ley. “I think it’s important up front to have an understanding with major donors [about] exactly what that means when they give [money]. I think it’s always easier to do that at the front end than the back end when you have interference.”

Tennis
The men’s squad lost its scheduled season finale to Villanova, 5-2, Friday to drop to 6-12 this season. The team is in the process of setting up a make-up date for a match against La Salle.
Junior Ricardo Velazquez and freshman Andrew Choi were the only Owls to win against Villanova with both players securing victories in their singles matches.
The women’s team dropped a match to Massachusetts, 4-3, Saturday to fall to 12-4. It was the team’s first match since March 22 when they faced Saint John’s .
The Owls regular season finale against George Washington was postponed Sunday and is being rescheduled.

Golf
The golf team finished tied for sixth out of 27 colleges at the Yale Spring Opener this weekend. The Owls shot a 297 on the final round Sunday to finish 31 over par for the event.
The Owls two-round score of 591 was a season best and it was the first time since Sept. 22 that the team stroked two consecutive under-300 rounds.
Junior Paul Amess and sophomore Eric Plisko both tied for 14th in the 148-player field.
The Owls will next compete at the Princeton Invitational in New Jersey next weekend.

Field Hockey
The Owls hosted the 2008 Philadelphia City Six field hockey tournament at Geasey Field Saturday.
The tournament included six city schools (Drexel, La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Villanova) competing in 15 total games.
Results from the tournament were not available on the Temple athletics Web site as of Monday afternoon.

- Tyson McCloud

Norene’s homer not enough in losses to Saint Louis

AMBLER — Coming off their first Atlantic Ten Conference win of the season and a seven-day lay-off, the women’s softball team returned to action against Saint Louis Sunday at the Ambler Sports Complex.

The forecasted rain didn’t arrive, and neither did the Owls bats as Temple was held to 13 hits and five runs in the doubleheader, dropping both games to the Billikens, 8-2 and 6-3.
With the losses, the Owls dropped to 8-11 overall and 1-3 in the A-10.

Junior Courtney Norene continued her chase of history as she nailed her 20th career home run in game two, placing her one shy of tying Adrienne Repsher’s all-time record of 21, a mark that she set last season.

“I am not a statistics girl,” Norene said. “Adrienne was great and I try not to think too much of it.”

With three home runs in her last six games, Norene now has seven dingers this season. With the season halfway over, she is on pace to hit 14 this year.

“She deserves it more than anybody,” sophomore catcher Krystle Metzler said. “She will hit any pitcher you have face her, she deserves it 100 percent.”

The best thing about Norene is “she wants to learn,” coach Casey Dickson said.

“[Like Repsher], it happened [for] her senior year,” Dickson said. “[When Courtney] finds those pieces like Adrienne did, I hope we have a big crowd to witness it.”

Despite Norene’s success, the Owls’ bats were kept quiet for most of the second game. Temple didn’t get it going until the seventh inning when Norene’s solo home run cut the Billikens lead to 6-1.  Metzler then hit a single and junior Katie Burdeaux followed with a two-run homer to make it a three-run game.

The Billikens quickly regrouped, though, to shut the door on the Owls comeback hopes.

“Last season, we had a little bit more offensive strength, something we have been working on,” Metzler said. “We could do a better job executing and getting the bats going for a few more hits, [but] I’m definite that it’ll get here soon.”

The Owls, who rank ninth out of 11 teams in the A-10 in on-base percentage at .310, are struggling to score runs. They are near the bottom of the conference in runs scored.
“We’re having challenges when we get people on, we’re not scoring them,” Dickson said. “[You] have the ability to succeed when asked.”

The coach said she believes in this year’s group as much as last year’s squad.

“[There were] areas we struggled in last year, that we’re better in this year but nobody seems to realize it,” Dickson said.

The major difference between last year and this year though, is the Owls don’t have the leadership of Repsher and Jessica Rohn, who both graduated last season.
“They demonstrated the ability to get it done,” Dickson said. “[This year], they’re not getting it done.”

The Owls will play back-to-back doubleheader games against Wagner this afternoon followed by a Big 5 showdown with Penn tomorrow at the Ambler Sports Complex.

Joe Polinsky can be reached at jpolinsky@temple.edu.

Upset helps squad climb A-10 ladder

AMBLER — For years, the baseball team has been hiding in the Atlantic Ten Conference basement.

Just a year ago, the Owls finished 9-18 against conference opponents and never seriously contended for a title.

Now with a 6-3 conference start and a weekend win over No. 18 Charlotte (23-5, 8-1 A-10), it appears the program may be turning a new page.

The 49ers came into town for a three-game set at Skip Wilson Field brimming with confidence. While Charlotte took two of three, the Owls (14-13 overall) were poised enough to hand them their first conference loss of the season, notching a 5-2 win in the second of the trio of contests.

“We just stayed composed,” said senior pitcher Tom Dolan, who started game two. “We just weren’t giving the game away. We were just very competitive, giving them a challenge. As long as I kept throwing up zeros, we were confident.”

After a 6-2 loss in the opener Friday, the Owls looked to pounce early in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader. However, the 49ers struck quick, giving Dolan trouble in the first. A two-run home run by Brad McElroy spotted Charlotte a 2-0 lead, but it wouldn’t last for long.

In the bottom half of the first, senior Mike Kelch belted a double that brought in a pair of runs while junior Carmen Del Mastro added another RBI single. Kelch is tied for the team lead with 18 RBIs this year.

After the first, Dolan settled down and tossed four solid shutout innings. Freshman reliever Ben White and senior closer Arshwin Asjes then combined to post four more scoreless frames.
While the Owls pitching staff kept the 49ers at bay, freshman Byron McKoy singled to the left side to bring home junior Jamie Abercrombie and freshman Ben Flanery  in the fourth inning. The insurance runs were enough to give the Owls the victory.

With the win, Dolan evened his record at 3-3, while Asjes secured his fifth save of the season.

The signature win is just further proof of the team’s notable turnaround.

“It just means that our program is moving in the right direction,” coach Rob Valli said. “We knew we had a lot of work to do coming in. The first season [2006], we played with the players that we had, and last year, we basically had a whole new roster out there. We have more consistency through our lineup this year.”

In the series finale, the Owls were out-muscled by a determined 49ers offense.

The Owls were handicapped by an untimely injury to senior pitcher Mike Mongiardini, who left the game with arm tightness in the second inning.

From there, the bullpen struggled to slow down the 49ers and the Owls defense committed five errors.

When the dust cleared, it was a 9-5 loss for the Owls.

Sophomore Ryan Thomas, who allowed seven hits, was branded with the defeat.

The Owls are now fourth in a tightly packed race in the A-10.

Anthony Stipa can be reached at anthony.stipa@temple.edu.

Heavy competition in the trenches

Only eleven days away from its annual Cherry and White game, several football players are aiming to secure an open spot on the team’s depth chart before the intrasquad contest kicks off.

The offensive line is no exception.

“I can tell you that nothing is set,” offensive line coach Andrew Dees said. “I think [we’ve] still got to find the right person to play in the fall. Spring is a great time for these kids. Other than [red-shirt junior co-captain Alex] Derenthal at center, everything is going to be a battle.”

Among those battling along the front line are 300-pound-plus sophomores Colin Madison and Lloyd Codada, who are both competing for the left tackle position. Last season, Madison started in four of the nine games he played in, while Codada started in two of the six games he participated in.

A little farther down the line, sophomore Chris Tremel is slotted to play right guard, while red-shirt senior Andre Douglas is penciled in at right tackle on the Owls latest depth chart, which was released April 4. Red-shirt freshman Jeff Passmore and junior Darius Morris are currently behind Tremel and Douglas on the two-deep depth chart.

But nothing is set in stone.

“There are still some pieces of the puzzle that have to fall into place,” said red-shirt senior Jabari Ferguson, who is listed as a starter over red-shirt junior Devin Tyler. “Once they do, we should be set.”

Derenthal, a team captain last year, is the only sure starter along the line at this point.

When Temple begins its season against Army in West Point, N.Y. on Friday, Aug. 29, the 6-foot-4, 294-pound Davie, Fla. native will be starting his 36th-consecutive game at center for the Owls. Derenthal was the team’s 2007 offensive MVP and is a candidate for the Rimington Trophy, an annual award presented to the most outstanding offensive center in the nation.

A lot of the Owls’ success this season will start upfront with the offensive line, Derenthal said. As the leader of that unit, Derenthal said he feels comfortable in his role.

“I don’t see it as pressure,” he said. “A little more responsibility, yes. But I wouldn’t take it any other way, but it is definitely not pressure.”

Ferguson, who played in 12 games, starting in four last season, agreed that the Owls’ success will depend on how well the line performs.

The Owls allowed the most sacks in the Mid-American Conference in 2007, letting opposing defenses get to the quarterback 45 times. The squad gave up five or more sacks in four games last season.

It took a while for the line to find its footing with the rush as the Owls only gained 38 yards on 50 carries in the first two games. From there, the Owls hit the century mark in rushing yardage in their next six games.

“I think we matured as last season went on,” Ferguson said. “It took us until about mid season to pick it up. We had a lot of freshmen playing which was good but now this year, we can start off strong from the start.”

Todd Miller can be reached at todd.miller@temple.edu.

Photo Courtesy of Ron Davis

Vexler leads gymnasts to ECAC title

The members of the men’s gymnastics team had one goal on their minds when they traveled to West Point, N.Y. this weekend: back-to-back Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship titles.

Though the team had been struggling entering Friday’s meet, losing to rivals, Navy and William & Mary, two of the previous three weekends, the injury-plagued Owls managed to win their 16th ECAC Championship. Temple (16-5 overall) was just one-tenth of a point better than runner-up William & Mary, defeating them, 341.45-341.35.

“It was tougher this year because we lost [juniors] John Vogtman and Nick Iles to injury,” said coach Fred Turoff, who was selected as ECAC Coach of the Year over the weekend. “Had we had [Vogtman’s] services, it wouldn’t have been close at all.”

As conference champions, the No. 13-ranked Owls earned the right to compete in the NCAA Qualifier at Stanford on April 17, somewhere Turoff acknowledges his team wouldn’t be if not for the ECAC victory.

Usually only the top 12 teams in the nation qualify, but instead, with the Owls’ win, No. 12 Illinois-Chicago gets left out of NCAA play.

“We didn’t beat William & Mary or Illinois-Chicago by enough to move ahead of them in the rankings,” Turoff said. “We’ll remain [ranked] 13th, but get in [NCAA competition] anyway.”
The Owls snuck into the NCAA Qualifier by squeaking out a victory at the ECAC’s. The squad’s top gymnasts came through in the clutch to help the Owls seal their second consecutive conference title.

“When we got to our last two guys, one had to score 15.1, [and senior] Sterling [Kramer] missed his dismount,” Turoff said. “[Senior] Luke [Vexler] came through with flying colors. When the 15.2 flashed, I knew we had won.”

Prior to the start of his senior campaign, Vexler said the team expected to do “no less than what we did last year,” and he made sure of it.

Not only did the 5-foot-6 gymnast seal the victory, but, like last year, he took home first place in the all-around contest. Vexler also finished first in the floor competition, second on the horizontal bars and the pommel horse, and third on the vault.

“Last year, being at home [in McGonigle Hall], it was special to win,” Vexler said. “Being away from home this year, it was just as great. We had just as many fans.”

In the individual competition Saturday, Vexler earned another medal, finishing tied atop the standings with sophomore teammate Patrick McLaughlin in the floor event.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself because I wanted to defend my title,” Vexler said. “Before the meet, I realized I didn’t have to stress so much. A whole lot [had already] went into this season.Pat McLaughlin had the day of his life [and] guys stepped up and filled [Vogtman’s] shoes.”

When it was all said and done, though, it was Vexler who carried the team to victory.

With his performance, the senior may have increased his chances of winning the Nissen-Emery Award, an award considered to be the highest individual honor in college gymnastics.
Vexler was also selected as the ECAC Senior of the Year.

“I didn’t even bring his name up first,” Turoff said. “(A) coach said (Vexler), we were asked if there were any other nominees and no one said another.”

Despite consecutive conference titles, Turoff won’t label the Owls the most dangerous squad entering Stanford’s Burnham Pavilion. Temple’s competition at the national meet will include top-ranked Stanford, Oklahoma, Penn State, California and Illinois.

“There are much stronger teams in the NCAA than we are,” he said. “Hopefully, we can have a good showing [and] see if we could move ahead in the rankings.”
But Vexler is looking for more than a better ranking.

“According to statistics, that’s the case, there are better teams,” he said. “But we beat [seventh] ranked Ohio State [Feb. 2].
“College athletics is the place for the underdog to take down the big dogs, so I’m keeping an open mind.”

Jeff Appelblatt can be reached at the.jeff@temple.edu.

Seniors launch quick start

For seniors , the time is now or never.

Prior to their freshman year in 2005, the women’s lacrosse team made four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. They haven’t been back since.

“What’s been a real joy about both Nicole and Whitney is they really have a passion for the game and for trying to win,” coach Bonnie Rosen said. “I think they have a lot that they’d like to accomplish. They’d like to win the automatic qualifier and go to the NCAAs.”

With a 12-9 win over Massachusetts Sunday, the Owls are off to a 8-3 start overall, with a 4-0 mark in the Atlantic Ten Conference.
And Caniglia and Richards are putting up career numbers in the process.

Both players have already surpassed their previous highs in goals scored. Caniglia ranks second on the team with 22 goals, up from her high of 14 last year, while Richards has put 26 balls in the net to go along with 20 assists, her highest marks since her sophomore season when she recorded 17 and 24, respectively.

“We’ve always played roles, Richards said. “But, I think this year since there’s no one else to fill the other spots, that we had to step up and play different roles.”
Caniglia’s role almost involved a different sport.

In addition to lacrosse, the attacker also played varsity basketball at Radnor High School, earning Honorable Mention All-Central League honors for three years. Instead of playing her home games at Geasey Field, Caniglia very well could have been playing for women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley at the Liacouras Center.

“Basketball’s tough,” Caniglia said. “I love playing basketball, but there are better opportunities for me in lacrosse.”

Opportunities like playing for one of the top 15 high school teams in the nation. In her four years at Radnor, the women’s lacrosse team won the state championship twice, in 2001 and 2003.

“At Radnor, I played with a lot of girls that were very athletic, very good girls,” Caniglia said. “And I feel that I definitely learned a lot from them … Whitney and [her sister] Hillary [Richards] are girls I would’ve played with at Radnor.”

Unlike Caniglia, Whitney’s path to Temple involved only one sport. She started playing lacrosse in sixth grade “because it was the new sport in school” and hasn’t looked back. Her twin sister, Hillary, who also plays midfield, joined her in seventh grade. They’ve been on the same team ever since.

“The only time we weren’t on the same team was when she first started playing lacrosse,” Hillary said. “She was on the team and I wasn’t. One year. And that was weird.”
Outsiders might think that two siblings playing together could cause problems, especially if they are fighting, but Hillary dismisses that theory.

“We have our own ways of handling things on the field, which can be a lot harsher than the way we might interact with Nicole,” Hillary said. “But it’s because we’ve played with each other so long that we just blurt things out and we know it’s just the game.”

“Their relationship is critical to Whitney’s success,” Rosen said. “Hillary is there to push her. She pushes her and she holds her accountable, yet she is always there to defend her. It’s a really neat thing to coach.”

Having coached Temple’s women’s lacrosse team for the past two years after spending 10 seasons at the University of Connecticut, Rosen serves as a first-hand witness to the growth of both players.

“I think probably for Whitney the thing that has changed from last year is that even opposing coaches know that she wants the ball in her hand and that is something you cannot teach,” Rosen said. “The fact that she likes to organize the offense and will take on the burden of how to create something is a huge asset to our game.

“And I think what I respect the most out of Nicole, aside from her explosiveness as a player and her ability to read the game is that she is truly a team player and will do whatever it takes for the team to win.”

Caniglia and Whitney Richards look to continue winning straight to their first NCAA Tournament appearance.

Jennifer Reardon can be reached at jennifer.reardon@temple.edu.

Comfort gets shot at WNBA-camp invitation

 

Now it’s time to think about yourself.

After four seasons of only thinking about the team, senior center Lady Comfort has her eyes set on her own future. Last weekend, she took part in the two-day WNBA pre-draft camp at the University of Tampa.

The camp gives a chance for coaches, scouts and executives of all 14 WNBA teams to evaluate incoming talent in preparation for tomorrow’s draft.

While Comfort statistically did not have as good of a season this year as her previous two campaigns, her 9.4 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game, which led the team, were still good enough to garner an invite to the WNBA’s pre-draft game.

And Comfort was understatedly pleased to take part in the event.

“I was excited. Both nervous and excited,” she said. “I was invited to keep showing off my game and hopefully [turn it into] a career. Playing with [these] players I’ve been playing against for four years, [and now] they’re all of a sudden on my team. But it’s fun. It was lots of fun. [There] was lots of energy from every player, so it was exciting.”

Even though she was showcasing her talents against such elite competition, Comfort remained confident in her abilities and her performance.

“I think I did really well,” she said. “I got the chance to talk to a lot of coaches from different places, like the [Los Angeles] Sparks coach, the [Washington] Mystics and the [Houston] Comets. So that’s always a good thing. Hopefully, [it’ll] be a really good thing and they’ll want me on their team. So it’s a good experience.”

Having played for someone like Dawn Staley and on the court with two Owls-turned-WNBA players – Kamesha Hairston and Candice Dupree – Comfort certainly has had a first-hand view of what it is needed to succeed at the professional level.

“It helped me get to where I am now, playing with Kamesha and Candice,” she said. “[I’m] just following in their footsteps. So [I’ve] had some good, good influences throughout my four years with Coach [Staley] pushing me. It was good having them there.”

So now, the question becomes, did she do enough? Will she get drafted?

“Not that I think, I hope,” Comfort said. “It’s up to them now. It’s all out of my hands, so I just hope that I did well enough to see that I’ll be a great addition to any team.”

But even if she doesn’t get drafted into the WNBA, Comfort’s dream of playing professional basketball isn’t going to go away.

“I’ll try out somewhere,” she said. “I’ll go overseas. It won’t stop here.”

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

Police react to SEPTA violence

Riders are on edge due to the recent string of random subway concourse attacks, but many Temple students who rely on SEPTA for transportation remain unfazed.

“I’m not any more nervous than I was before,” said Eric Weis, 36, a junior history major. “Philadelphia is a dangerous city sometimes, so you just have to be careful.”
Weis said he doesn’t try to avoid the subway at all in light of the attacks.

“I think it’s better than walking through the streets sometimes,” he said.

A woman was attacked near Market East Station just one week following the March 26 death of Sean Conroy after he was beaten at the 13th Street Station by a group of students from Simon Gratz High School.

Late Friday night, a third victim, a 30-year-old man, was assaulted then robbed by three suspects on the Market-Frankford Line between the 13th Street and 15th Street stops.

On Feb. 20, SEPTA police shot a man who pulled a gun on them at the Broad and Allegheny stop of the Broad Street Line, the stop many students use for the Health Sciences Center.

“Despite the recent assaults near the SEPTA system, between 1989 and 2007, SEPTA experienced an 87 percent reduction in felony-related crimes by implementing a variety of measures to insure the safety of our riders and facilities,” SEPTA press officer Gary Fairfax wrote in an e-mail.

“SEPTA has also begun a program called Smart Stations where enhanced communications/CCTV are among the chief design features. Cecil B. Moore Station is a pilot location for this program,” he wrote.

“[In] my experience, historically here with Temple University students, incidents on the subway have been few and far between,” said Carl Bittenbender, executive director of Campus Safety Services.

He said that SEPTA police are very responsive to Temple’s needs by keeping the lines of communication open and sending additional officers when Campus Police find it necessary.

“This past weekend, we had the concert at the Liacouras Center,” Bittenbender said. “SEPTA provided additional officers near the Broad and Cecil B. Moore entrance on the platforms as well as at the surface.”

Bittenbender said that Temple students aren’t any more likely than the rest of the population to be attacked, but that they still need to exercise caution and be aware of their surroundings at all times.

“A lot of crime is random. It’s opportunity, it’s different things,” he said. “This really is just senseless, and I don’t know the circumstances, but I know in both instances the police were very close by.”

Fairfax said that SEPTA often assigns extra police during school dismissal hours and in high-crime areas.

In addition to extra police presence, the civilian patrol organization, Alliance of Guardian Angels, also recently began to patrol the subway system.

“We’ve had sporadic patrols there before all of this, but now obviously the light is shining on this mess and as Guardian Angels we must respond,” said senior director Arnaldo Salinas.
Though deploying volunteers to patrol the subway is not cost-effective for the Guardian Angels, “we’re now committed to clearing up the mess that is in the system, … these wolf packs, if you will, that are diminishing quality of life in the system,” Salinas said.

The Guardian Angels carry no weapons, but Salinas said they are well-known and highly visible with their red berets, combat boots and reputation for being forceful, yet fair.
“No one is stupid enough to commit a crime in front of us,” he said.

Some students said that though they are not too nervous riding SEPTA as it is, the Guardian Angels can only help the situation.

“I feel like stuff like that can happen anywhere, really, so just after living in the city for a while, I don’t think I’d be more scared on the subway,” said senior sociology major Rosie Ferris. “But I’m sure [the Guardian Angels] probably make it safer.”

“I have definitely seen more security around, so that probably adds to the comfort level,” said second-year law student Adam Schlosser, who commutes daily to Temple from Center City.
Schlosser said he thinks that if everyone is aware that the Guardian Angels are out there, some crime will be deterred.

Bittenbender said that despite the recent incidents, he is still confident that SEPTA is a safe way for students to travel.

“Our students have had excellent experiences on the subway in my history here,” he said. “It’s not incident-free, of course, but I think the SEPTA police do a fine job of patrolling.”

Morgan A. Zalot can be reached at morgan.zalot@temple.edu.

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