Track and field brings back bronze

Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams finished in third place at the Atlantic Ten Conference Indoor Championships. It was the women’s best finish since 2003. The men have never finished this high.

Philadelphia may have received a record snowfall almost two weeks ago, but inside, at the track and field Atlantic Ten Conference Indoor Championships in Kingston, R.I., this past weekend, Temple set records of its own.

The Owls arrived back on campus with their best collective finish in program history. The men’s and women’s teams both finished in third place. The women’s team recorded its highest finish since 2003, but for the men, it was a new best. And it was not just a record finish for the team. A few athletes achieved meet records, NCAA qualifications and personal bests as well.

Coach Eric Mobley arrived in 2008 and took over a program that had been brought back to life by his predecessor, coach Stephanie Scalessa. Before Mobley, track and field enjoyed success from walk-ons and individual efforts, but now, the Coach of the Year has started to construct something a little more stable.

In Mobley’s first season, he guided the team to a fourth-place finish. Now, the Owls have more depth and senior leadership. Senior sprinter and jumper Tim Boeni has competed two years each under both Scalessa and Mobley. Boeni has steadily gotten better, but he believes the team has a different confidence level now.

“I think there is a lot more talent on the team than ever before,” Boeni said, “and I think that everyone started competing against each other, got better and stepped up towards the end of the season.”

Boeni had arguably the best performance on his team when he tied a 17-year-old meet record in the long jump with a distance of 23-04.75 feet. He claimed the title as well. Other seniors who continued to be consistent for the Owls were Josue Louis, who won the high jump event with a jump of 6-10.25 feet, Bryce Buffaloe who claimed the title in the weight throw with a throw of 61-09.50 feet, and Grant West and Alex Schiavi, who placed second in the weight throw and heptathlon, respectively.

Buffaloe and West have stabilized the indoor throwing program for the Owls the last few seasons but have been edged out by Rhode Island’s juggernaut throwing program in the conference championships every year. It was fitting that they were able to own the podium in this season, their last.

“There are a lot of good throwers in the A-10, and we’ve been making a push every year,” Buffaloe said, “and it feels good to get a medal this year and at the same time to finish well as a team.”

The Owls were almost able to earn enough points to take second place from Rhode Island, which finished with 129 points. The Rams finished behind Charlotte for the third consecutive season. Charlotte’s 149 points were good enough for the 49ers’ 10th straight indoor title.

For the Owls, the juniors rounded out the scoring sheet with a combined 62 out of the 125 points the Owls earned. Distance runner Mike May finished sixth in the 5000-meter, jumper Miles Dryden placed third in the long jump, and long sprinter Lou Parisi recorded a fifth-place finish in the 500-meter.

The women’s team finished third by just barely edging out Rhode Island, 108-105. Dayton and Charlotte ran away with the competition for a first-place tie of 145 points.

The women entered the A-10 Championship by setting school records in the 4×400-meter relay, 4×800-meter relay, 800-meter and the pole vault. One factor in the first three of those four events is freshman sprinter Victoria Gocht. Gocht earned the Rookie of the Year award, particularly for her performance in the 800-meter race, when she took the title with a time of 2 minutes, 11 seconds – two seconds shy of the school record she set earlier in the year.

Gocht competed on a club team before coming to Temple but said she wasn’t intimidated by the competition from the start.

“It was a good atmosphere when I joined the team,” Gocht said. “It was very serious, but I was very confident I could run here.”

Other Owls who earned titles included senior Brittany McRae in the long jump and the 4×800-meter relay team, which consisted of junior Shadaya Bennett, freshman Tonney Smith, junior Tashima Stephens and Gocht. Melissa Gale bettered her school record in the pole vault to earn the bronze medal as well.

Paris Williams was not able to defend her title in the 400-meter but still grabbed second place with a time of 56.02 seconds.

The Owls’ qualifiers will compete next in the IC4A Championships held March 6-7 in Boston.

Eric Pellini can be reached at eric.pellini@temple.edu.

Track and field meets NCAA, ECAC qualifying standards

Tim Boeni and Bryce Buffaloe met NCAA Provisional qualifying standards at the New Balance Invitational, while five women’s athletes qualified for the Eastern College Athletic Conference.

The men’s and women’s track and field teams managed to make it out of the snow to compete at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational, Widener Invitational and Haverford College Invitational last weekend.

“We had a pretty good showing this weekend,” coach Eric Mobley said. “We were running against top-ranked schools, and the players believe they can compete against anybody on any day.”

Seniors Tim Boeni and Bryce Buffaloe each met NCAA Provisional qualifying standards at the New Balance Invitational, which was held last Friday and Saturday in New York. Boeni jumped 7.56 meters, improving his IC4A distance and placing seventh overall in the long jump. Buffaloe finished in fifth place in the weight throw with a toss of 19.58 meters, improving his school record.

“Tim brings a lot of energy to the team, and we feed off each other,” senior hurdler and jumper Josue Louis said.

Boeni watched past performances during the last week to help in New York.

“There is always room for improvement,” Boeni said. “I watched some videos and knew that I could do better than I had.”

Junior Miles Dryden finished third with a time of 7.05 seconds in the 60-meter dash, while freshman Tim Malloy placed ninth with a time of 8.42 seconds. Sophomore Aaron Taylor placed eighth in the 800-meter with a time of 1:54.85, and fellow sophomore Emmanual Freeland ran the 200-meter in 22.45, good enough for 10th place. Taylor, along with sophomore Tariq Lee, junior Derrhyl Duncan and senior Brad McFadden, also placed third in the 4×400-meter Pennsylvania race with a time of 3:21.28.

As for the women, freshmen Sheina Roberts and Victoria Gocht each met Eastern College Athletic Conference qualifying marks in the 400-meter and 500-meter, respectively. Roberts ran a time of 57.01 and finished 12th, while Gocht placed sixth with a time of 1:14.33. Junior Paris Williams competed in the 500-meter as well and finished in second place with an impressive time of 1:13.34.

Senior Brittany McRae placed 11th in the long jump with a distance of 5.62 meters. She also finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.85, edging out teammate junior Brittany Clybourn, who finished fifth, by a tenth of a second.

In the women’s 4×400-meter Pennsylvania race, freshman Tessa West joined Roberts, Gocht and Williams, and together they finished second overall with a time of 3:45.54, which also met ECAC marks.
“The freshman class is doing very well,” Williams said. “They have stepped up all season, and it shows. We are moving in the right direction.”

At Widener, Buffaloe threw a personal best 51-00.75 in the shot put and also placed first in the weight throw with a toss of 18.50 meters. On the women’s side, senior Melissa Gale cleared a height of 12-00 to improve her school record and ECAC qualifying mark.

Temple also got a boost at Widener from sophomore Alanna Owens, who placed first in the weight throw with an ECAC qualifying mark of 45-10.50.

At the Haverford Invitational, which was postponed one day because of the snow, the Owls scored seven first-place finishes for the men’s team. Taylor finished first in the triple jump, clearing 11.29 meters, and ran a personal best 8.35 in the 55-meter hurdles, which was good for second place.

Freeland had two first-place finishes in the 55-meter dash and 200-meter, with times of 6.49 and 22.63. Malloy won the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.76, and Louis finished first in the high jump with a jump of 2.03 meters.
“We’re at a point where we know we’re better than we’ve been in a while, and it’s exciting,” Louis said.
Junior Rebecca Mims led the Owls in the 800-meter, placing first. McRae also had a first-place finish in the 200-meter, clocking in at a time of 25.93, while senior Shaniece Stonewall placed first in the long jump, clearing a distance of 5.26 meters.

The Owls are off until Feb. 19, when they travel to the University of Rhode Island for the Atlantic Ten Indoor Championships.

“We let the performances come to us,” Mobley said. “Our goal for the A-10s is to win a championship on both sides.”

“We’ve got a good chance of winning,” junior long sprinter Tashima Stephens said. “We should come in the top two or three.”

Justin Boylan can be reached at justin.boylan@temple.edu.

Men’s track and field team takes title

The men’s track and field team picked up a first-place overall finish and four individual victories in its first 2010 meet, the Saturday Night at the Armory event in New York.

The men’s and women’s track teams showed why expectations during the Atlantic Ten Conference portion of the schedule are high for this spring during their first meet in 2010, Saturday Night at the Armory in New York.

A preseason A-10 coaches’ poll selected the men to finish in third place and the women to finish fourth.
At the Armory, the men picked up four individual victories and a first-place overall finish at the event.
“I was very proud of our men’s squad today,” coach Eric Mobley said. “They went out there and competed really hard, and the results showed that.

“[The preseason poll] shows that the coaches of our conference are noticing the improvement of our squads,” Mobley added. “We expect great things out of ourselves too.”

Junior sprinter Emmanual Freeland, senior hurdler/jumper Josue Louis, senior sprinter/jumper Tim Boeni and senior thrower Bryce Buffaloe claimed the individual titles in the 60-meter dash, high jump, long jump and weight throw.

The men’s four individual wins led the event. Army, Fordham and Villanova finished in a three-way tie for second place with three individual victories apiece.

“I was very happy to have four individual victories,” Mobley said. “I was proud of the team as a whole. Even in the events we didn’t win, we competed hard and gave great effort.”

The men also finished in first place overall with a total score of 131. Army and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County came in second and third place, respectively. On a brighter note, the men’s team finished way ahead of city rival Villanova, which finished fourth with 86 points. The Wildcats had set the bar at the Jack Pyrah Invitational back in December.

The women’s team had its share of individual victories but failed to take home the team title like the men.

Freshman sprinter Victoria Gocht won the 800-meter, and the foursome of freshman sprinters Tessa West, Sheina Roberts and Tonney Smith and junior sprinter Paris Williams won the 4×400-meter relay.

“The women’s team didn’t have as much luck as the men, but they still put together a solid team performance,” Mobley said.

The women finished in third place overall in the 10-team women’s field with a total of 85.5 points. Connecticut and Villanova finished ahead of them. The Huskies and the Wildcats also dominated the individual victories with six winners each.

After garnering high expectations, Mobley said the first meet post-winter break was certainly a success for his squad. The Owls are hoping to carry this momentum with them into the A-10 Championships Feb. 19 and 20 at Rhode Island.

“Everything that we are practicing for is to prepare to be the best that we can for the conference championships,” Mobley said. “We look forward to seeing how much we really have improved.”

The team returns to action this weekend with two meets Saturday, the first against the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and the other at the Princeton Relays in Princeton, N.J.

Ryan Rosengrant can be reached at ryan.rosengrant@temple.edu.

Closing the gap with ‘Nova

The men’s and women’s track and field teams won eight individual events at Saturday’s Jack Pyrah Invitational. Host Villanova won 16 events total.

As the winter’s first snow fell outside, the men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their indoor seasons Saturday with the Jack Pyrah Invitational at Haverford College. Villanova hosted the event, named for Villanova’s retired Hall of Fame track and field coach Jack Pyrah.

Of the eight individual victories the Owls took home, Temple coach Eric Mobley said he “was very happy with how [the teams] performed.”

MEN
The men’s team picked up five individual victories, including a meet record from senior sprinter and jumper Tim Boeni, who had a long jump of 7.11 meters.

The Owls also picked up victories from senior hurdler and jumper Josue Louis in the 55-meter hurdles, sophomore distance runner Travis Mahoney in the 3000-meter run, junior thrower Bob Keogh in the men’s weight throw with a toss of 17.81 meters and junior Brian Smith in the pole vault.

“Picking up five individual victories is a good way to start the season for our men’s squad,” Mobley said.

WOMEN
The women’s team captured three individual victories Saturday.

The Owls dominated the weight throw competition, as they claimed the top four places. Sophomore throwers Allana Owens, Ebony Moore, Brittany Weston and Amber Moore led the charge, with Owen recording the best throw at 14.89 meters. Owens also won the shot put with a toss of 13.25 meters.
Senior jumper Sequoia McBall wrapped up the first-place finishes with a victory in the triple jump with a jump of 11.40 meters.

Senior jumper and hurdler Brittney McRae held the women’s long jump record as of last year, but this year, she finished second behind Saint Joseph senior Erin Vandenhoof with a jump of 5.19 meters, .6 meters behind last year’s mark. Junior Paris Williams broke her personal best in the 300-meter, as did junior Assata Cowart in the 1,000-meter, but both sprinters finished third in their events. The Owls placed two teams in the Top 3 in the 4×400-meter relay, including an all-freshman team that came in second.

“Our women’s team played really well,” Mobley said. “It was a great way to start the season.”
There’s improvement in the Owls’ results: Last year, they came away with seven individual victories at the Jack Pyrah Invitational.

Host Villanova led the event with 16 individual victories – eight for the men and eight for the women.
“We aren’t quite to Villanova yet, but we are closing the gap,” Mobley said. “Our main focus is on getting better in-conference. Hopefully, that’s where we will see all the hard work in the offseason pay off.”

The Owls will have the chance to get back at the Villanova squad when they compete in the Villanova Invite March 27.

The men’s and women’s track and field teams compete again Jan. 15 in the Gotham Cup in New York City.

Ryan Rosengrant can be reached at ryan.rosengrant@temple.edu.

Sports Rewind

Baseball
The Owls ended a six-game losing streak Saturday, topping Richmond, 8-3. But the Spiders still took two games in the series, leaving coach Rob Valli’s squad with a record of 17-26 (11-9 A-10).

Despite taking only one game on the road at Richmond last week, the Owls are still in contention for an Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament bid. They sit in fifth place, a half game ahead of Massachusetts. Six teams make the playoffs.

Senior outfielder Sean Barksdale got his 153rd career RBI on Sunday, putting him one short of tying a Temple record. He’ll have a chance to tie and surpass the record Wednesday when the Owls head to Maryland Eastern Shore for their final non-conference game this season.

Softball
The Owls had a disappointing end to their season Sunday following two losses to St. Bonaventure in a doubleheader. One win would have given the Owls entry into the A-10 Championships.

The team dropped its first game, 5-1, but had a chance to take the second, which went into extra innings. The Bonnies scored and won in the 12th inning, 4-3, securing a spot in the playoffs. The Owls ended their season with a 15-25 (6-8 A-10) record.

In the final contest, senior first baseman Courtney Norene hit her sixth home run of the season in the second game, giving her a record-setting 28 career home runs.

Track and Field
Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams found success in last weekend’s A-10 Championships.
The men earned a third-place overall finish, the best they’ve ever achieved at the A-10s. Junior sprinter Brad McFadden ran a time of 55.06 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, giving him a first-place finish. Altogether, the men’s team took 127 points, behind first-place Charlotte (217.5) and second-place Rhode Island (130).

The women’s team, which finished fourth overall, was led by sophomore sprinter Paris Williams, who earned the team’s only individual title in the 400-meter dash with a time of 55.06 seconds. The women ended with 88 points. Like their counterparts, Charlotte’s women’s team came in first.

Lacrosse
After a less-than-stellar season, the lacrosse team finished on a winning note with a 15-5 victory against Lafayette Wednesday at Geasey Field. Despite outshooting the Owls 32-24, the Leopards couldn’t break the Owls’ defense. Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Phillips had a career-high seven saves.
For the first time in three years, the Owls didn’t participate in the A-10 Tournament. Three seniors are leaving the team.

Mobley ‘building foundation’ with track and field team

With the season halfway over, the men’s and women’s track and field teams are looking to sprint to the finish and hurdle over their opponents to win the Atlantic Ten Conference title.

“We just want to keep pushing and keep putting in the hard work,” coach Eric Mobley said. “Making sure everyone is focused on what they are trying to accomplish as far as conference titles and making it to the postseason.”

On April 3, part of the track team traveled to Gainesville, Fla., for the Florida Relays, while the rest of the squad stayed in Philadelphia for the Penn Invitational.

In Florida, senior thrower Amanda Cole took fifth place in the hammer throw when she threw 175-05. For the men, sophomore thrower Bob Keogh finished seventh in the same category. Keogh’s throw of 185-11was his best to this point in the outdoor season.

In the 400-meter dash, sophomore sprinter Paris Williams was the 10th-best collegiate finisher (16th overall), as she clocked in at 55.04 seconds.

For the men, junior hurdler Brad McFadden also finished 16th overall with a time of 53.55 seconds.
In the high jump, junior hurdler/jumper Joshua Louis represented the Cherry and White, finishing 13th overall and clearing 6-8 3/4.

The Owls’ relay teams also made their marks in the sunny state of Florida, with the women’s 4×400 team taking the best finish of the day. Sophomore sprinters Tashima Stephens, Assata Cowart, Paris Williams and junior sprinter Carlleen Allison led the 4×400 team to a time of 3 minutes, 44.06 seconds, giving the Owls a 15th-place finish.

In Philadelphia for the Penn Invitational, the weather was not as great as it was in Florida, but the Owls’ performances didn’t suffer.

Sophomore sprinter Tariq Lee was the Owls’ top finisher in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.30 seconds.

Freshman thrower Eric Brittingham took fifth place in javelin with a throw of 175-09. For the women, junior thrower Daisy Amato also finished in fifth place in the javelin with a toss of 118-06.

In the 3000-meter event, sophomore middle distance runner Clarke Hunt completed the run in 10 minutes, 29.80 seconds, which was good enough to land him a 15th-place finish.

Sophomore distance runner Brianna Linneman took a 22nd-place finish in the 5000-meter run with her time of 20 minutes, 15.15 seconds, while freshman hurdler Kayla Mayhew finished 21st in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.09 seconds.

With a lot of underclassmen running the show, Mobley wants to keep building for the future.

“We want to continue with positivity,” the Owls’ first-year coach said. “Keep it moving, and start building a foundation for years to come.”

The Cherry and White will hit the track again in Bethlehem, Pa., this Saturday when they take part in the Greyhound Invitational.

Mobley said his squad is “making tremendous strides to be a power in the conference” and is “making noise in the area.”

Also coming up in the near future for the Owls are the Penn Relays, which will be held April 23, 24 and 25 at Penn’s Franklin Field.

John Mehler can be reached at john.mehler@temple.edu.

Both men’s and women’s teams finish in fourth place

The men’s and women’s track and field teams spent the weekend in the Mackal Field House at the University of Rhode Island for the Atlantic Ten Conference Championships.

In the meet, both the men and the women placed fourth. The men repeated the same result as last year, but for the women, it was their best showing since 2003.

“It was a great weekend. I feel it went very well,” coach Eric Mobley said. “We went out there and competed well as a team.”

Mobley also said he told his team the same thing he’s been saying all season – just try to win your race – and his players responded by giving it their all.

Senior long sprinter Marquise Stancil led the men’s team through the weekend with two third-place finishes, first with a time of 1 minute, 4.38 seconds in the 500-meter run, then with teammates freshman mid-distance runner Anthony Boone, sophomore sprinter Dimitri Theofanis and sophomore mid-distance runner Aaron Taylor in the 4×400 meter relay.

“I did my best,” Stancil said. “And I’m happy I got the chance to run at the A-10s again.”

Taylor also had a nice weekend with a first-place finish in the 800-meter run with a time of 1 minute, 55.58 seconds, just beating out Charlotte’s senior runner Chase Eckard.

Other male Owls of note were junior hurdler/jumper Joshua Louis and sophomore jumper Miles Dryden. Louis reached a height of 6-08.25 in the high jump, which was high enough for silver behind junior jumper Michael Elliott of Rhode Island. Dryden picked up points for the Cherry and White during the 55-meter dash early in the weekend, while the men’s 4×800 meter relay team also contributed to the point total by finishing in sixth place.

Stancil, who is looking forward to the outdoor season, didn’t shy away from talking about the positive atmosphere that surrounds the team.

“We did a great job on the track and off the track supporting each other,” he said.

The Charlotte 49ers defended both the men’s and women’s titles in Rhode Island. That continues their run of seven out of eight titles on both sides since they joined the A-10. Dayton finished second on the women’s side, followed by Rhode Island, which finished second on the men’s side in front of La Salle.

However, the high point of the A-10 Championships for Temple did indeed come at the end of the weekend, when sophomore sprinter Paris Williams was named the 2009 Indoor Women’s Track Performer of the Year.

Senior thrower Amanda Cole gave high praise to her teammate.

“[Paris] was focused and driven,” Cole said. “She brought her A-game.”

That wasn’t the only thing Williams brought home, as she finished in first place in the 500-meter run with a blistering time of 1 minute, 14.13 seconds. Not long after, she won her second gold of the Championships, anchoring the 4×400 relay team of junior sprinter Carlleen Allison, sophomore sprinter/hurdler Assata Cowart and senior sprinter/jumper Devon DuPont with a time of 3 minutes, 51.76 seconds.

Freshman hurdler Shadaya Bennett, freshman middle distance runner Rebecca Mims, freshman sprinter Brittany OgunMokun and sophomore long sprinter Tashima Stephens grabbed four points in the 4×800 relay, as the young team performed well in its first A-10 Championship together.

Stephens and OgunMokun also finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 800-meter run. Allison’s fifth-place finish in the 400-meter added some much-needed points for the Owls along with sophomore jumper Abigail Blomeke in the high jump and Cole in the shot put.

“We finished higher than we were supposed to,” Cole said, “but we still have work to do.”
That work will continue this Friday at the NYU Fastrack in New York.

Justin Boylan can be reached at justin.boylan@temple.edu.

Track and field gets off to fast start

After a successful 2008 campaign, the track and field team got back to work for the first time this season at the Jack Pyrah Invitational at Haverford College.

The meet, on the women’s side, was highlighted by senior Amanda Cole breaking the school record in the weight throw and winning the shot put. For the men, sophomore Josue Louis won the high jump and finished second in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.72.

Ultimately, the Owls combined to finish first in seven events at the Invitational.

Temple was selected to finish fifth in the Atlantic Ten Conference for both men and women. The men’s team will enter competition this year with experience from junior Tim Boeni and Louis, the 2007 Atlantic Ten Conference Indoor Rookie of the Year. As for the women, sophomore Paris Williams, along with seniors Cole and Devon DuPont, will lead a young squad that only lost one senior from last season.

Also a central figure to the Owls will be senior Jim Waddington, who is a middle distance runner. Formerly the No. 2 runner on the squad, Waddington is expecting big things from his team this year.

“I have very high expectations for the team this year,” he said. “We have a lot of leadership and experience on the team that is going to help us improve in the conference and possibly contend for the A-10 title.”

So far, the Owls are in a decent spot to get that done.

In addition to the achievements of Cole and Louis last weekend, sophomore Brittany McRae won the long jump, breaking the meet record and meeting ECAC qualifying standards in the process.

On top of that, for the women, Talitha Smith won the high jump and Williams won the 300-meters.
But perhaps most notably for the women, DuPont, the Owls’ first-ever heptathlon winner, finished second in the 55-meters with a time of 7.34, second in the long jump and third in the 55-meter hurdles.

DuPont’s second place finish in the long jump broke the previous meet record and qualified her for ECACs.

The men were not outdone, as sophomore Miles Dryden won the long jump, sophomore Lou Parisi finished second in the 800-meters, freshman Travis Mahoney finished third in the 300-meters and junior Grant West finished second in the weight throw.

West is all about being competitive and working hard.

“My individual expectations for the coming season are very high,” he said. “My goals for indoor track are to break the school record, win the A-10s [in my respective event] and make the All-East team at the IC4As. Ultimately, [my goal is] to go out every meet and set a [new] personal record.”

Like West, senior Mitchell Stroh also talked about his competitiveness and the expectations he set for himself and the team.

“I’m shooting for an individual medal, as well as two relay medals in the 4×800 and 4×400,” he said. “As [far as] the team, I think that we should finish in the top three in the conference, but we are always looking to take the top spot. We have a lot of young talent, and there is a great amount of dedication on the team.”

The Owls return to action Jan. 9 for the Metropolitan Invitational in New York.

Joe Polinsky can be reached at joe.polinsky@temple.edu.

Track and field finds a new coach

With a new job and loads of confidence, Eric Mobley is ready to go.

After coming off a successful four-season run that included 16 conference championships with the Division III College of New Jersey, Mobley was named the coach of both the men’s and women’s track and field teams.

“I’m looking to bring that same success and attitude,” Mobley said. “We were able to dominate our conference and do very well at the national level.”

While Mobley may be the new coach, this is not his first coaching gig at Temple, as he was an assistant coach during the 2002-2004 seasons. In addition, Mobley was an assistant for La Salle and Akron before stepping foot on Temple’s campus.

Having prior experience with the university was helpful when he applied for the coaching position. On top of being able to work in the city where he grew up, Mobley also brought new ideas on how to help athletes academically and athletically.

“It’s close to home and I’m a Philly guy,” he said.

To help the team improve, Mobley plans to bring in a winning culture and a new sense of team unity, which was what he had at The College of New Jersey.

He credits that kind of atmosphere as a key reason for the teams’ success.

“It was a family-type atmosphere,” Mobley said. “Just like any family, you have differences, but when it was time to come together, everybody had each other’s backs.”

Moving from Division III to Division I was not that difficult for the Owls’ new coach, since the differences between the two levels mostly involve the amount of paperwork, scholarship opportunities given to students and the level of athletic talent.

“Not everyone can be a Division I athlete,” Mobley said.

There is also the difference in philosophies that Division I and Division III schools have regarding athletic programs. Division III schools emphasize participation, while Division I schools are more result and competition oriented.

“I had seven years of Division I coaching experience prior to being a Division III head coach,” Mobley said. “So it’s not that big of a transition.”

Mobley has met with the majority of the members on the teams and has seen some of their potential by watching a few meets.

“I have inherited a very solid team. There is a lot of potential to do some really good things at the [Atlantic Ten Conference] level and at the NCAA regional level,” he said.

Throughout his career, Mobley has produced 61 all-American athletes. While he has seen some Temple athletes that have the talent to possibly succeed at the national level, it is still a daunting task to become an all-American athlete at the Division I level.

For Mobley, “being a Division I all-American is tough.”

“You have to be in the top eight out of every Division I program in the country,” he added.

Mobley is confident that his teams can turn their talent and potential into actual results, not only in the A-10, but in the national competitions as well.

He is looking to turn these teams into serious contenders for the A-10 title and a shot at national success.

“Our goal is to make a push at the regional and national level,” Mobley said. “This is going to be one of the better programs in the country. You just have to give us some time.”

Brian Dzenis can be reached at brian.dzenis@temple.edu.

New coaches top summer moves

The start of the 2008-09 academic year brings fresh faces to Temple – and they aren’t just freshmen.

Temple athletics will welcome four new coaches this fall, two of them in sports that made it to the NCAA
Tournament just last year. Such new beginnings for the Owls aren’t strictly limited to North Philadelphia. Two alumni joined the professional ranks in sports this summer.

Here’s a recap of the summer sports news:
Women’s Basketball
After spending eight seasons at Temple and amassing a record of 172-80, including six NCAA Tournament
appearances and four Atlantic Ten titles, coach Dawn Staley left the Owls for the University of South Carolina. She was replaced by Tonya Cardoza, a former teammate of Staley’s at the University of Virginia and a 14-year assistant to hall of fame coach Geno Auriemma at the University of Connecticut. Cardoza, a guard specialist, brings championship experience with her to North Broad Street, as she helped the Huskies win five NCAA titles and 464 games during her time in Storrs, Conn. Dan Durkin, Waynetta Veney and Brittany Hunter have joined her staff as assistants.
Men’s Basketball
After helping the Owls reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2001, guard Mark Tyndale joined the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League in August. Tyndale, a Philadelphia native, averaged 15.9 points last season and led the Owls in rebounding (7.2) and assists (4.3) per game. He finished his career at Temple ranked in the school’s top 20 in scoring and rebounding and the top 10 in assists and steals.
The man who was at the helm of that NCAA Tournament appearance, coach Fran Dunphy, signed a contract
extension through the 2013-14 season. Dunphy, who holds a career record of 343-194, will also take his squad to the inaugural Charleston Classic in November. In addition, Temple has announced it will play two games against city rivals La Salle and Saint Joseph’s, as well as Rhode Island.
Baseball
After the Owls were eliminated from the Atlantic Ten Conference Championship in late May, left-handed pitcher Mike Mongiardini signed a professional contract in July with the Kalamazoo Kings of the Frontier League, an independent professional baseball league based in the Midwest. He made his pitching debut the next day, throwing five scoreless, hitless innings in the team’s 7-5 win. During his senior season at Temple, Mongiardini went 3-2 with a 4.08 ERA in 11 starts, leading the Owls in strikeouts with 43 in 57.1innings. Mongiardini also led the baseball program to its first postseason victory in five years when he pitched 7.2 innings and allowed only one earned run against St. Bonaventure in the A-10 Tournament.
More than one month later, Mongiardini’s Kalamazoo Kings’ teammate, Brandon Anderson, joined the Temple Owls baseball team as an assistant. Anderson, who has played with the Kings for two seasons, rejoins Temple coach Rob Valli. Anderson played under Valli for two seasons at Gloucester County College in New Jersey.
Softball
Temple headed north up Broad Street to find a replacement following the resignation of three-year coach Casey Dickson. Joe DiPietro, who spent six seasons as La Salle University’s softball coach, takes over for the Owls, who finished the season 15-24, with a record of 5-15 in the A-10.

Women’s Tennis
First-year coach Jill Breslin resigned, opting to take the same position at Bryn Mawr College instead of defending Temple’s A-10 Championship. Breslin, the A-10 Coach of the Year in her first season at the helm, helped the Owls reach the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in the program’s history. A successor has yet to be named.

Track and Field
The Owls hired former assistant Eric Mobley as the teams’ coach after Stefanie Scalessa stepped down from her position. Mobley, who was at Temple from 2002-04, spent the last four years as coach at the College of New Jersey. He will replace Scalessa, who became the first woman to coach a men’s sport at Temple and helped revive the cross country program after 20 years of dormancy in 2005.

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

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