Golf, anyone?
Ask Pennsylvania College of Technology golf coach Matt Haile about that and you will get a resounding “yes.”
The Wildcats, who are coming off a fall season during which they won two multiteam invitational tournaments, begin spring play Monday, April 1, at the Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen Spring Invitational at Lebanon Country Club and the coach, in his 10th season, said his players are eager to get outdoors and back on the links.
Pennsylvania College of Technology students have a new avenue to flex their competitive muscles in support of their school. The college has formed an esports team that will challenge other colleges and universities for video game supremacy beginning later this month.
“A large portion of our student body consists of active gamers. Establishing a team allows us to formalize that interest in the name of Penn College and facilitate participation for the students in recognized competitions against other schools,” said John D. Vandevere, director of athletics. “The team will be a tremendous outlet for the students, and will serve as a campus life enhancement.”
Even though she only has been with her teams just a few weeks after being named the interim coach, Jessica Bower is pleased with what she has seen as the Pennsylvania College of Technology men’s and women’s tennis teams prepare for their spring openers.
The season begins for the men’s team with a nonconference match at Elmira College at 1 p.m. Saturday and it starts for the women’s team with a North Eastern Athletic Conference match at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 29.
College-minded students, overwhelmed by piles of possibilities as they consider which career path to follow, can sort through the clutter of options during a revealing visit to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Spring Open House.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 6, members of the Penn College community will welcome potential students and their families, sharing their unique experiences from an institution that has helped tomorrow makers find their niche for more than a century.
Traveling south to find decent weather, the Pennsylvania College of Technology baseball team got its season underway over the weekend. The college’s softball team, however, has to wait a couple of extra days to take the field.
With seven returning starters and 12 players from last year’s team that reached the North Eastern Athletic Conference playoffs for the third straight season under coach Jackie Klahold, the Pennsylvania College of Technology women’s softball team is scheduled to open its season Saturday in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The Wildcats, 14-21 overall and 8-9 in all NEAC games a year ago, will face Notre Dame of Maryland University at 10 a.m. and Wilkes University at 2 p.m. After that, they head further south to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where they will compete in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic, playing eight games. Their home opener is slated for March 22 with conference play beginning on March 30.
Pennsylvania College of Technology President Davie Jane Gilmour has been appointed to the NCAA Division III Chancellors/Presidents Advisory Group.
Gilmour will serve alongside other presidents and chancellors from Division III conferences across the U.S. who advise the Division III Presidents Council, the highest governing body in the division.
According to the NCAA website, “The (Presidents) Council establishes and directs the general policy of the Division, while also establishing Division III’s strategic plan. It can make recommendations to the Board of Governors on matters related to Division III, such as championships, and may approve how the Division spends its money.”
In just two seasons, coach Jamie Miller has taken the Pennsylvania College of Technology wrestling program to new heights.
A year ago, one Penn College wrestler became the first in school history to place in a NCAA Division III regional tournament. On Saturday, four joined the ranks and the Wildcats finished 11th in a 20-team field.
The basketball season ended for Pennsylvania College of Technology teams last week and, this week, the college’s wrestlers are headed into NCAA tournament competition while the baseball and archery teams are scheduled to open.
Wildcat Athletics’ Student-Athlete Advisory Council this week welcomed sports psychologist Jarrod Spencer, whose latest book – “Mind of the Athlete” – fueled presentations on Wildcats’ mental health and how it impacts them in their respective sports. Spencer, an all-state wrestler at Phillipsburg (New Jersey) High School and a tailback on the Lafayette College football team, furthered his commitment to improving athletes’ emotional health through a series of Monday discussions with team captains, coaches and athletes. “Dr. Spencer’s message conveyed that, with a clearer mind, the chance for overall success is much greater,” said Devon M. Sanders, of Bloomsburg, a Penn College pitcher who majors in business administration: sport and event management concentration. “This is really beneficial to student-athletes both on and off the field.” The speaker serves professional, Olympic, college and high school teams across the country, and is the sports psychologist for the Philadelphia Flyers. “Dr. Spencer expressed an eye-opening message about the importance of acknowledging when you need help and how that help can be acquired,” added Taylor C. Gonzalez, of Lititz, a soccer goalkeeper and nursing student. “It’s OK not to be OK.”
Photos by J.J. Boettcher, student photographer
Pennsylvania College of Technology wrestlers had a final tuneup over the weekend in preparation for the postseason while the college’s basketball teams look to bring down the curtain on their campaigns this week.
The third annual Alumni Basketball Reunion Weekend brought members of past Wildcat teams back to Penn College for several campus events organized by Alumni Relations and Athletics. In addition to a Friday evening alumni reception, the guests took part in a coed game on their former Bardo Gymnasium home court and enjoyed lunch prior to watching a Saturday doubleheader against SUNY-Cobleskill.
Beginning a three-week stretch drive of six consecutive North Eastern Athletic Conference games to close out their regular seasons, Pennsylvania College of Technology men’s and women’s basketball teams each went 0-2 last week. Meanwhile, the college’s wrestling team lost its lone dual match.
Pennsylvania College of Technology wrestlers picked up the only wins of the week, going 2-1 at the York College quadrangular on Saturday.
Pennsylvania College of Technology men’s and women’s basketball teams dropped their midweek games while weekend action for those two squads and the wrestling team was postponed due to an impending snowstorm.