Fall Athletic Teams Forming as New Semester Opens

Classes for Pennsylvania College of Technology's fall semester get under way Monday and athletes in six sports soon will hit the practice fields or courts in preparation for their season openers.

The women's volleyball team will be the first to get under way, on Friday, Aug. 27, at the two-day Penn State Beaver Classic. Last season, coach Bambi Hawkins' team went 15-10 and reached the Penn State University Athletic Conference semifinals. In 10 years, Hawkins' teams are 124-82.

Penn College golfers open their season at home on Monday, Aug. 30, when they host the White Deer Challenge at the White Deer Golf Complex. A year ago, under new coach Matt Haile, the Wildcats posted a 20-7 season, placing third in the PSUAC and fourth nationally in the USCAA.

The men's and women's soccer teams take to the field Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Penn State Abington. The men's team is in its fifth season under coach Enrique Castillo. Last year, it went 15-5-1 overall and finished second in the PSUAC and tied for fourth nationally in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. In four seasons, Castillo's teams are 58-9-3. The women's squad will be under a new coach this season as Kim Antanitis left the position after four years and a 31-16-2 overall record. Last season, the Wildcats were 8-4-1 and tied for third nationally in USCAA competition.

Men's and women's cross-country teams step into action on Saturday, Sept. 4, at the Delaware Valley Invitational. Going 49-14, the Penn College men claimed their fifth straight PSUAC championship and finished second nationally in the USCAA last year under coach Mike Paulhamus, while the women went 20-13-1 overall, ending second in the PSUAC and fifth nationally in the USCAA, also under Paulhamus. In 10 years under Paulhamus, the men's teams have gone 259-141-2.

The coed tennis team will be the last to open when it starts play Wednesday, Sept. 8, at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. In addition to going 17-1 under second-year coach Aimee Plastow, the Wildcats won their second consecutive PSUAC championship. In two seasons, Plastow's teams are 34-3.

During the overall 2009-10 school year, Wildcat teams sported a combined 211-112-3 won-lost-tied mark a .653 winning percentage. In the PSUAC, Penn College teams went 112-43-1 (.723 winning percentage), captured two championships (men's cross-country and coed tennis) and took three seconds (women's cross-country, men's soccer and men's basketball), which helped the college win its second consecutive Chancellor's Cup. The cup is given to the school that earns the most points throughout the year; Penn College ended with 65.5 points and runner-up Penn State Beaver had 59.

Upcoming Games Women's Volleyball Friday, Aug. 27 vs. Ohio State University at Marion inPenn StateBeaver Classic, 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7 vs.Penn StateBeaver atPenn StateBeaver Classic, noon Saturday, Sept. 4 triangular with Rutgers-Newark at PSU Abington, 2 p.m.

Golf Monday, Aug. 30 host White Deer Challenge at White Deer Golf Complex, 11 a.m.

Women's Soccer Wednesday, Sept. 1 at Penn State Abington, 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4 host Davis College, 1 p.m.

Men's Soccer Wednesday, Sept. 1 at Penn State Abington, 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4 at Penn StateYork, 3 p.m.

Cross-country Saturday, Sept. 4 at Delaware Valley Invitational, women 10 a.m., men 11 a.m.

Coed Tennis Wednesday, Sept. 8 atPenn StateWilkes-Barre, 3 p.m.

(Complete rosters and season schedules are available on the college's Athletics Web site . For more information on the PSUAC, visit on the Web; more about the USCAA also is available online.)

Vol. 9, No. 1