Chicken Scratch

2010-02-08T16:22:00.012-05:00

February 8, 2010.

Delaware vs. George Mason

Bob Carpenter Center

The Delaware women are playing a game that is microcosmic of their season. They are flashing off all of their youth and potential, but also committing errors that reflect the team's inexperience.

At the half, the score is 33-28 George Mason, largely in part to Delaware's 15 turnovers in the first half. The most turnovers they have ever had in a game this season was 23. At this pace, the Hens will shatter that mark and give up many unnecessary points.

Elena Delle Donne is about to have another double-double, with 12 points and 9 rebounds at the half. The rest of the team needs to pick up the scoring and foolish turnovers if they plan on making a comeback.

The game should not be as it is. George Mason is in last place, and Delaware is fighting for a top-five seed in the CAA tournament.

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Less than 8 minutes into the second half, Delaware has caught a second wind, storming back to take a 42-41 lead. George Mason is now suffering from turnovers, and Delaware seems to capitalize on every one with an easy layup.

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At the 8 minute mark, GMU has regained a one point lead 49-48. George Mason does have eight team fouls, which gives Delaware the one-and-one bonus. Foul trouble could be the difference in the final minutes. Delaware only has two team fouls. The Hens are playing cleaner, crisper basketball.

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With 3:49 left, the Hens have a slim, 55-53 lead. They now are in double bonus, as GMU has surpassed ten team fouls.

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Ariene Jenkins has stepped up in the second half with some hard-fought offensive fouls, one of which resulted in an Elena Delle Donne bucket. The Hens may be pulling away, going on a 5-0 run, Hens 62, GMU 57. GMU now has a single bonus.

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The double bonus proved to be the difference in this one, as Delaware won 67-63. With a three-point lead with 6 seconds left, Elena Delle Donne hit a free throw in a double-bonus foul, sealing the victory for Delaware. George Mason had no chance at victory after Delle Donne hit the foul shot.

Delaware vs. Towson, January 28, 2010

2010-01-28T19:55:00.041-05:00

14:28 : Elena Delle Donne scored the first six points for Delaware. Kayla Miller just hit a three. Delaware 9, Towson 7.

13:10 Lauren Carra just drew a blocking foul from Towson's Simona Petronyte, resulting seconds later in her own bucket. Delaware 11, Towson 9.

11:37 Towson has already drawn four team fouls. They've just tied the score. Delaware 11, Towson 11.

10:34 Delle Donne already has nine points, and she's 4-4 from the field. Delaware 14, Towson 11.

9:16 Delle Donne just hit her second three. Delaware added another bucket earlier. Towson did too. Delaware 19, Towson, 13.

8:44 Towson bucket. Delaware 19, Towson 15.

8:22 Lauren Carra draws a foul from Towson's Meredith Kennedy. Carra hits both free throws. Delaware 21, Towson 15.

7:47 Delle Donne draws a foul on the floor, Towson's seventh team foul. Delaware is in one-and-one bonus. Delle Donne hits both free throws. Delaware 23, Towson 15.

7:30 Towson bucket. Delaware 23, Towson 17.

6:38 Jaquetta May draws a shooting foul. She misses both shots. Same score.

5:37 Danielle Parker makes a layup on a nice pass from Delle Donne. Delaware 25, Towson 17.

4:57 Carra hits a three. Towson hit a three of its own. Delaware 28, Towson 20.

4:18 May is fouled again. She hit one of her two free throws. Delaware 29, Towson 20.

3:47 Delle Donne draws a blocking foul. That was Towson's tenth team foul, thus Delaware is now in double bonus. Delle Donne hits both free throws. Delaware 31, Towson 20.

3:25 Towson bucket. Delaware 31, Towson 22.

2:58: Delle Donne layup. Delaware 33, 22.

2:37: May hits a bucket. Delaware 35, Towson 22.

2:09 Towson bucket. Towson also hit one of two free throws on a shooting foul. Delaware 35, Towson 25.

1:02 Parker draws a shooting foul. She hits both shots. Delaware 37, Towson 25.

0:07 Towson bucket. Delaware 37, Towson 27.

Halftime.

Second half.

19:48 Jocelyn Bailey draws a shooting foul. She misses both shots. Delaware is 11-16 from the free throw line. Same score.

19:15 Lauren Carra draws shooting foul. She hits one of two shots. Delaware 38, Towson 27.

18:25 Ariene Jenkins fights for a bucket in the paint. Delaware 40, Towson 27.

Note: Delle Donne is not playing and is not on the bench.

16:43 Bailey gets a off. rebound and puts it up for a bucket. Delaware 42, Towson 27.

16:03 Jenkins hits another layup. Delaware 44, Towson . 27.

15:30 Towson bucket. Del. 44, Towson 29.

14:45 Towson free throw made on shooting foul. Jenkins hits a hook shot. Delaware 46, Towson 30.

Injury Report: Delle Donne is questionable for the rest of tonights game due to an injury to her right elbow.

13:16 Bailey layup good. Towson comes back with two buckets. Delaware 50, Towson 34.

12:14 Parker makes a layup. Delaware 52, Towson 34.

11:33 Towson bucket. Bailey makes another layup. Delaware 54, Towson 36.

10:22 Parker makes a layup. Delaware 56, Towson 36.

10:00 Towson bucket. Del. 56, Towson 38.

9:27 May hits a jumper from mid-range. Del. 58, Towson 38.

6:37: Towson bucket. Carra hits a three. Del. 61, Towson 40.

5:03 Towson bucket. Del. 61, Towson 42.

4:48 Towson three. Del. 61, Towson 45.

4:25 Carra hits a three. Del. 64, Towson 45.

4:10 Jenkins layup good. Del. 66, Towson 45.

3:18 Delle Donne back on the bench with a bandage around her right elbow. With a twenty one point lead, its unlikely she will return to tonights action.

3:03 Bailey hits a layup, nice pass from Carra. Del. 68, Towson 45.

1:52 Delaware buckets by Carra and Bailey. Towson bucket Del. 72, towson 47

Final Score Del. 72, Towson 49. Tina Martin's 250th victory.

Delaware wins overtime thriller

2009-12-30T11:18:00.002-05:00

Delaware beat Lafayette(7-6) 82-72 in overtime to win their fourth game of the season. Delaware was led by Alphonso Dawson, who had a team high 23 points and 14 rebounds. DJ Boney also chipped in 16 points, while Jawan Carter scored 15. Delaware only shot 32 percent from the field, but 83 percent from the free throw line, while Lafayette was 40 percent from the field, and 76 percent from the charity stripe.

Lafayette was led by Jared Mintz, who scored a game high 26 points.

Delaware will try to get their fifth win of the season this Saturday, Jan 2, when they take on Drexel at 2pm at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Delaware Wins 4 in a Row

2009-12-13T15:20:00.002-05:00

Delaware took down La Salle University 54-46 this Sunday at the Bob Carpenter Center. Delaware, now 6-3, won its fourth straight game, along with its fifth straight at home. This is Delaware's second home game of the year.

Both teams shot poorly from the field, with Delaware at 38 percent and La Salle at 31. Freshman standout Elena Delle Donne chipped in a team high 17 points and eight rebounds, while Tesia Harris scored 16 points and added six rebounds. For La Salle, Jamie Walsh scored 17 points and was 5 for 11 in three pointers.

Delaware will face Buffalo next at home on Dec. 22.

U.S. Naval Academy vs. Hens live blog

2009-12-11T19:10:00.021-05:00

Just over eight minutes into the game, Elena Delle Donne has 8 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist. She's hit her first three shots, two of which were from three-point range. Navy leads 16-15.

Navy and Delaware are playing a very even, back-and-forth game in the first half. Delaware leads 17-16 with a little less than eight minutes left in the half.

At the end of the first half, Delaware leads 33-25. The Hens went on a 10-0 runs late in the half. Delle Donne has more points (16), assists (3), and rebounds (5) than any other player on Delaware or Navy.

Danielle Parker just hit a jumper two minutes into the second half. Tesia Harris also hit a three. Hens lead 38-25.

The Hens have outscored the Mids, 7-4, four and a half minutes into the second half.

Navy is rallying, cutting its deficit to 10 points. Twelve minutes left in the game. 42-32 Hens.

With six and a half minutes left, Delle Donne has twenty points. Hens lead 51-38.

Delaware wins 67-50. Delle Donne had 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Danielle Park also had 11 points and 6 rebounds.

-Pat Gillespie, Assistant Sports Editor

Volleyball falls short in the CAA tournament

2009-11-24T12:24:00.003-05:00

The Delaware volleyball team fell short of its third consecutive conference championship yesterday, losing to George Mason 3-2. Heartbreak was the name of the game as the Hens gave up a 2-1 match lead, falling 25-21 and 15-7 in the fourth and fifth set respectively.

They did not lack effort though. Steph Barry had 29 digs and Jess Chason had 55 assists. Kim Stewart had 14 kills, and Alissa Alker had 12 kills too.

As the main reporter for this team for the season, I can say that the early playoff exit is not symbolic of the Hens season. They trained, practiced, and played hard all year. Being regular season co-champions was something they took pride in. They also had a team chemistry that I have yet to see in other Delaware sports teams. Yesterday's loss is merely a bump in the road for a program that is going very far in the near future. Look for the Blue Hens in the NCAA tournament next year and years afterward.

Head coach Bonnie Kenny led a talented group of young ladies to a very successful season. Things did not turn out as expected, but sometimes that's the way life goes. They'll learn from this year, and come back for a strong 2010 campaign.

The MVP of Baseball

2009-11-24T00:01:00.002-05:00

Joe Mauer won the American League MVP yesterday. For the sake of comparison, I think its safe to say Albert Pujols will take the National League MVP. Of the twenty-two writers and Baseball Tonight anchors at ESPN, all of them picked Pujols to win the NL MVP. It's a safe call to make.

This begs the question: who is the MVP of the Major Leagues?

(Drum Roll)...

The 2009 Major League Baseball MVP is Joe Mauer.

Wait a second?!

What about Pujols aka the machine?

He led the National League in on-base percentage, slugging OPS, extra base hits, total bases, runs, and, of course, home runs. Not to mention, the machine posted a .327 batting average and drilled in 135 RBIs. He's also a gold glove caliber first basemen. The Cardinals wouldn't have endured the embarrassing division series sweep to the Dodgers had Pujols not been the cornerstone of the offense all year. Okay, that's a harsh way of putting it, but the guy has arguably the coolest "this is beyond baseball" commercial. Watch it once, and you'll buy tickets to the next Phillies-Cardinals game, just to see #5 play.

So what about this fellow Mauer?

He did hit .365, which was the best in the majors. But, he didn't even have a hundred RBIs and he only slugged 28 home runs. Pujols beat him out in the majority of major offensive statistics. The Twins had the exact same playoff outcome too, crumbling to the Yankees in three games.

So why Mauer?

Because the best win even when they are all the teams got. I'm not saying Pujols isn't deserving of the best, but Mauer willed his team to the playoffs, something Pujols did not endure. Without Pujols, the Cardinals probably don't make the playoffs, but make a push for the wildcard spot. Without Mauer, the Twins may break the single-season loss record.

Mauer not only put up outstanding numbers for a catcher who was coming off a lower back injury, but he led a flimsy pitching staff to the playoffs, even when Baseball Tonight counted them out. Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, Michael Duensing, and Nick Blackburn (Who? Did these guys com from the California State Penal League?) were all starters for the Twins throughout the 2009 season, and all are under the age of twenty-eight. Not one of them had more than fifteen wins.

On the offensive side, it was the M&M --Mauer and Morneau--boys right? Well, not exactly. When the Twins needed Justin Morneau down the stretch, he was out for the season with a back injury. Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer did have good offensive seasons, but when the Twins needed a win, it was Mauer who propelled them to victory.

He missed the first month of the season due to injury, played the most physically demanding and brutalizing position in baseball, and still had eye-popping offensive numbers. Joe Mauer is the MVP because nothing was easily given to him and everything was hard earned. In fact, it took 163 games to prove how hard Mauer and the Twins worked to reach the playoffs.

Pujols had Cy Young candidates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. He also had one of this offseason's biggest free agents, Matt Holiday, to protect him in the lineup. Pujols is the face of the Cardinals, but he certainly had a lot of body parts to help him out.

Its not a statistical comparison; Pujols gets the gold on that. Its a comparison of who did the most with the least. Mauer took a group of Joes as far as they could possibly go given their age, experience and playoff scenario. Put simply, he took a lump of clay and made a sculpture.

Joe Mauer was the arms, legs, mind, heart, and face of the Twins. Congratulations Mauer, the 2009 MLB MVP is yours. You're no Joe.

Hens at Villanova Live

2009-11-21T15:41:00.018-05:00

Scoreboard
Hens 12
Wildcats 30
Final

Onside kick recovered by Szczur, effectively ending Delaware's season
This guy has been all over the place, so it's only fitting that he grab the ball to end their season.

Nihja White grabs a 3-yard pass for a touchdown, two point conversion failed, Villanova 30-12
It's a little too late to be excited about the Hens' first touchdown of the game, especially since Villanova seems to have mailed this game in.

Devlin throws third interception of the game, leads to Wildcat FG, Villanova 30-6
This one wasn't entirely his fault, but he's not relieved of all blame. Marlon Johnson hit Devlin as he threw, causing the ball to come loose which allowed Tim Kukucka to grab the ball. Yako then converted from 34 yards out.

Hens fail to convert fourth down again, Wildcats take over at their 40
Devlin had a shot at the end zone as Rob Jones led his defender the whole way, but Jones could do nothing as he watched the ball sail out of the back of the end zone.

Direct snap to WR Matt Szczur for a 3-yard touchdown, 27-6 Villanova
The Wildcats retaliated in less than two minutes, mostly because of Matt Szczur. The wide receiver is the Wildcats' main "wildcat" formation receiver, and hurt the Hens first on a 36-yard run down to the Delaware 18. After a quarterback keeper by Whitney and a 15-yard rush to running back Aaron Ball, Szczur took the direct snap for the touchdown.

Striefsky bangs through another field goal, 20-6 Villanova
The Hens looked like they had their second wind after halftime, but stalled again, this time at the seven yard line. Devlin went 7-9 on the drive for 72 yards, but the short field stopped them because they can't get the run game going. Striefsky's field goal was for 25 yards.

Turnover on downs for the Hens, end of half
The Hens looked like they could have an epic drive, but failed to convert on a fourth down. Coach K.C. Keeler must have decided that a 50-yard attempt by Striefsky would be asking too much of his best offensive weapon over the past two games. 20-10 would have looked much better, but any Hens fan would want Striefsky to try a field goal over a fourth and 12 conversion attempt.

Wildcats benefit from the interception again, Yako kicks 45-yarder, 20-3 Villanova
They were working with a short field, and though they only moved the ball two yards the interception return put them into field goal position. The 45-yard kick was the longest of the season by Yako. The Hens are at their 20 with just 1:47 left in the first half.

Devlin throws his second interception on the day
After an offensive pass interference penalty to push the Hens back to a 1st and 25 situation, the Hens were forced into a five WR set, and under pressure Devlin threw an interception to linebacker Jacob Wade, who took the ball back to Delaware's 32 yard line.

Angelo Babbaro rushes two yards to the end zone, 17-3 Villanova
Villanova needed just six plays and less than three minutes to retaliate Striefsky's field goal as they easily moved the ball down the field to give the running back Babbaro the easy touchdown. We also saw the first of the Wildcat formation by Villanova, primarily run by wide receiver Matt Szczur (pronounced see-ZUR).

Ol' faithful kicker Jon Striefsky boots a 39-yard field goal, 10-3 Villanova
Striefsky never seems to get tired, and even after a record-breaking outing last week is still on fire. The drive was moving well until it stalled right before the red zone. Striefsky's field goal came with 8:42 left in the second.

Delaware goes 3 and out, end of first quarter
Mark Duncan had a great catch-and-run, but unfortunately was short two yards after a fall start on OL Kevin Uhll.

Wildcat QB Chris Whitney rushes for 9 yards for a touchdown, 10-0 Villanova
Well, that turnover came back to bite the Hens. In four minutes the Wildcats took the ball 76 yards on just nine plays. Whitney has been noticeably bad passing the ball, including overthrowing wide open receivers. He now has 45 yards on five carries for the day and is 4-8 for 35 yards passing.

Pat Devlin throws an interception, first and ten Villanova on their 26
After a good looking first drive for the Hens, Devlin's sixth pass on the drive was intercepted for a short return. Devlin was 4-5 for 38 yards before that.

Wildcats strike first on 32-yard field goal, 3-0 Villanova
The Wildcats brought the ball down the field with ease, even converting a fourth and one situation to stay alive. Nick Yako's field goal from 32 out was good, Hens will get the ball back with 10:03 left in the first.

Sorry about the late start, Hens fans. A false accusation of a lewd act on the opposition's campus will cause a little trouble. Stay tuned for live updates of Delaware at Villanova, the last regular season game on the Hens' schedule.

Delaware vs. Navy live game blog

2009-11-14T15:01:00.029-05:00

Scoreboard
Hens 18
Navy 35
Final

Dobbs finds endzone for the fifth time, Navy defeats Delaware 35-18
After finding WR Bobby Doyle on 4th and 10 with a minute left, Dobbs ran the ball in himself from the three yard-line to give Navy the 35-18 victory. Dobbs' touchdown set a stadium record for most touchdowns in one game.
With the loss, Delaware drops to 6-4 and Navy advances to 8-3. Although they put up a fight, the Hens will have to defeat Villanova next week to have any hope of advancing to the FCS playoffs.

Navy converts on 4th and short
On fourth and short from the Delaware 35 yard line, Ricky Dobbs bulled through for a first down. The spot call went up for review but was upheld. The call essentially ends the game, as Navy will have the opportunity to run out the clock after Delaware takes their final time out.

Butler finishes drive, Hens cut lead to 10
After a drive in which Nahja White caught his first to balls of the game, one of which was for 22 yards, Jerry Butler ran the ball in from one yard out. The Hens attempted a two-point conversion, but a Pat Devlin pass was incomplete. Delaware's drive was 11 plays, 78 yards and 4:10. The Defense absolutely needs a stop here with 6:29 left in the game.

Teich sets up Dobbs 2 yd. TD run
Navy now leads 28-12 with 10:39 to play. RB Alexander Teich had a 22 yard carry to advance Navy to the two yard line. Dobbs then ran the ball in himself to tie the Navy school record for most touchdowns in a season and break the record for most rushing touchdowns in a season. It was his 21st TD of the season.
It looks like the Hens defense has given up, unfortunately. They're unable to make tackles and stop the option in the second half. If Devlin and company can find the endzone on this drive, however, they're right back in the game. We'll see if they can do something.

Devlin fumbles, Navy recovers
While attempting to throw the ball, Devlin was sacked by Navy DE Jabaree Tuani. He lost control of the ball and Tuani recovered. Navy will take over on Delaware's 37 yard line. Delaware needs a big stop here.

Dobbs finds endzone, Navy leads 21-12
After a 46-run down the sideline by Navy QB Dobbs to bring the ball inside the five yard line. He then finished what he started, bulling through the middle for a touchdown on a QB keeper. Delaware absolutely has to put points on the board on this drive or they can kiss their hopes of beating a bowl team goodbye. There is 12:26 left to play, but time has been going by fast as both teams are displaying their running game.

Navy punts after fumble
Delaware will take over at their own 12-yard line after Navy was forced to punt. The Hens were aided by a Dobbs fumble as he attempted the option, which pinned the Midshipmen at 3rd and 19. Saddiq Haynes sacked Dobbs on the ensuing play forcing Navy to punt. It was a huge break for the Hens. Navy looked like they were poised to make a drive. Delaware needs to put points on the board here. It is clear Navy made some offensive adjustments at halftime.

Hens settle for three again
Jon Striefsky nailed a 21-yard FG to cut the lead to 14-12. After driving to the three yard line, Devlin tried to hit Tommy Crosby in the endzone but the play was well-defended. Penalties and failure to find the endzone are becoming themes in this game for the Hens offense. After driving to the 10, the Hens were penalized and moved back once again in this drive. They did, however, put points on the board, which is important if Navy is going to continue to drive like they did in their last offensive series.

Dobbs finds endzone, Navy re-takes lead
After 11 plays, 64 yards and 5:48, Navy QB Ricky Dobbs scored on a 1 yard touchdown run on 3rd and goal. Delaware's defense came out flat. They didn't tackle, and they weren't reading the option well. It will be interesting to see how the Hens' offense responds.

Navy takes over at own 37
Navy will start the half on their own 37 yard line. We'll see if Delaware's defense can make a stand here. It will be huge to continue the Hens' momentum if Delaware is successful.

Underdog Hens came to play, but are plagued by penalties
Delaware leads Navy 9-7 at halftime, but the score should actually be 13-7 if it weren't for a horrendous call by the officials (no, I am not being bias).
Delaware is outplaying the Midshipmen, leading them in virtually every major offensive category including first downs, rushing yards, passing yards, and net-yards. The Hens defense has held Navy to just 105 total yards- not bad considering the 80-yard drive the Midshipmen had to start the game, which still stands as the only Navy bright spot in the first half. It may have been the result of Delaware cold feet.
The Hens running game is getting the job done, and it is setting up the passiing game. David Hayes, Jerry Butler and Phil Thaxton have a combined 117 yards rushing, often gaining 4-5 yards on each play. Although Devlin has struggled with his accuracy, he has managed to hit Duncan and Tommy Crosby consistently in third -down situations. Duncan leads the Hens with three receptions for 34 yards.
Navy is a much better team than they have shown, but they are very one-dimensional (which they have also shown). It seems as if Keeler and his coaches have trained Delaware how to stop the triple-option successfully, but don't be shocked if the Midshipmen air one or two out for big yardage every once in a while. Hens defensive backs, namely safeties Charles Graves and Anthony Bratton can't fall asleep, or it could be the difference in the game.

Hens touchdown reversed after beautiful drive, Hens settle for three at close of half
The Hens made what is possibly the best drive they had made all season, recording seven first downs to Butler, Hayes, Duncan, Mooney, Thaxton and Butler again. From the Navy four yard line, Devlin hit WR Tommy Crosby in the endzone. They flagged Jerry Butler on the play for pass interference in the back of the endzone, backing the Hens up to the19-yard-line. It is hard to decifer what the officials were thinking on that call. Rarely is offensive pass interference called away from the play. Regardless, Jon Striefsky nailed a 25-yard-field goal to take the Hens into the half with a 9-7 lead.
The Hens drive was beautifully orchestrated. They drove 84 yards on 18 plays while taking 8:39 off of the clock. Delaware has huge momentum heading into the second half of the game. Stay tuned for some halftime analysis.

Higginson sets up another Navy 3 and out
John Higginson sacked Navy QB Ricky Dobbs for an eight yard loss forcing another Navy punt. This time, there was no roughing the punter, but Navy pinned the Hens on their own eight yard line. We'll see if the Hens' offense can make some noise.

Hens force three and out, but rough the punter
After that first series in which Navy drove for 80 yards, the Hens have forced a turnover and a three and out. Unfortunately, Navy punter Kyle Delahooke was taken down on the punt and Navy got the ball back. That could be a huge turn of events in favor of Navy.

Striefsky nails 39 yd. FG, Hens cut lead to 7-7 at start of second quarter
Higginson's fumble recovery resulted in three points after a failed offensive series by Devlin and company. They recoreded -3 yards. Regardless, the Hens were able to come out with some points. Hens' head coach K.C. Keeler stressed the importance of turnovers earlier this week. Navy is going to put up a lot of points, but if the Hens can force some turnovers, they will stay in it. Let's see if his philosophy proves to be correct.

Defense forces fumble, Higginson recovers
Tyrone Grant knocked the ball loose on a Navy option and John Higginson picked the ball up, carrying it back to the Navy 19-yard-line. The Hens defended the option perfectly on that play.

Striefsky nails 47 yd. FG, Navy leads 7-3
John Striefsky tied his career high with a 47 yard field goal after an 11 play, 52 yard drive by the Hens. WR Tommy Crosby and RB David Hayes, who was listed at third on the depth chart to start the game, took the reigns on that drive. Devlin hit Crosby twice for a first down to start the drive, then handed the ball off to Hayes for another. The Hens couldn't find the endzone though. Once again, Devlin overthrew one of his receivers - this time it was Phillip Thaxton. The Delaware receivers must have said something to make Devlin angry today because he is continuously leaving them out to dry, and they're taking some big hits going up for balls.

Dobbs does it himself, scores touchdown
The Hens knew what they were getting with Navy, and the Midshipmen just handed it to them on a platter. Led by QB Ricky Dobbs, Navy ran the ball all the way down the field on the Hens on 10 plays, 80 yards and just 4:33.
The series started with a 24-yard pass (uncharacteristic of Navy), but the running game took over from there. Between Dobbs and RB Gee Gee Greene, Navy recorded four first downs on the series, ending with Dobbs taking the ball in himself from the one-yard-line.

Devlin misses Duncan twice, Hens forced to punt
Navy will take over on their own 20 yard line after an Ed Wagner punt for a touch-back. After two first downs, the Hens were stifled when Devlin threw behind Duncan on a slant route and overthrew Duncan on a post. We'll see if the Hens defense can stand-up to the triple option.

Butler, Duncan move the chains
That was huge for Delaware. After a eight yard rush by Jerry Butler, Devlin hit WR Marc Duncan on a curl route, moving the chains. Delaware is now near midfield.

Delaware starts series on offense
We'll see what Devlin and company has to show us early. The Hens' Jerry Butler recieved the Delaware kickoff and brought the ball to the Hens' 25.

Sandwich Game
Navy just announced that many of their normal starters won't be starting this game for the Midshipmen. We're not sure why, but one could conceive that Navy sees this game as a sandwich game between Notre Dame and Hawaii (their opponent next week). After Hawaii Navy plays their usual rival Army, then heads to the Texas Bowl. Clearly Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo sees this week's game as a chance to rest before the Midshipmen start their gauntlet next week.
For the Hens, this is the gauntlet. They need to take advantage of the fact that Navy may be overlooking them.

The Weather
It's cloudy, but comfortable here in Annapolis. Currently it's 57 degrees with very little wind. This is good for Delaware's spread offense. If it had been rainy, the run-oriented Midshipmen would clearly have the advantage.

Keys to the game
For Delaware's offense, they will need to establish a balanced attack in order to defeat the Midshipmen. Last week, RB Jerry Butler came alive in the backfield, scoring two touchdowns, and Devlin continued his good on-field relationship with WR Mark Duncan. The Hens need to continue that trend, and then some, keeping the Midshipmen on their heels.
On defense, the Hens need to stop the triple option - and that's no easy task. The Fighting Irish failed to do so last week, and we saw the result. Delaware doesn't have Notre Dame's talent, but they might be able to out-smart the Midshipmen like they did in 2007.

Welcome to Navy Marine Corps Stadium
The Hens are looking to step up a level this week and take on FBS Navy. The midshipmen are coming off an adrenaline-filled thriller against No. 19 Notre Dame last week inwhich they pulled out a 23-21 victory.
Delaware is going to have to step up their level of play. The Hens lost to unranked JMU two weeks ago and squeaked by unranked Hofstra last Saturday.
For extensive coverage of last week's game, the Hens' playoffs hopes, and a preview of this weeks game, go to udreview.com/sports.

Field hockey to face No. 6 Michigan State

2009-11-11T09:46:00.002-05:00

On Saturday the Hens will travel to Virginia for a chance to both advance in the NCAA tournament and prove themselves against a familiar opponent. Delaware fell to Michigan State 7-2 in their season opener, a very uncharacteristic mark this season. The Hens will certainly be feeding off a sense of revenge as well as momentum.

Field hockey clinches second CAA title

2009-11-09T19:25:00.003-05:00

Five years after grabbing the program's first conference championship, the Hens earned another title with two stellar performances last weekend, beating out James Madison University and Drexel University in two close, high-pressure matches. It's been pretty obvious the Hens have a great offensive front this year, but last weekend it was the Hens defense that shone. Noelle Diana had her best-ever showing, making twelve saves against the Dragons. The Hens wereoutshot 22-4, but still walked away victorious.It should be no surprise that four of the Hens received all-tournament honors. Diana, Casey Howard (who also was named tournament MVP,) Kimmy Schlezes, and Rae Everson were all named to the team. The Hens will find out tomorrow evening who their first NCAA opponent will be.

Delaware vs. Hofstra Live Game Blog

2009-11-07T12:00:00.034-05:00

Gilbeaux stuffs Christopher, Hens take over on downs and run clock out
Hens LB Brandon Gilbeaux stuffed Hofstra QB Christopher to give the Hens the ball back. Delaware will finish this one with a 28-24 victory as they squeak by the Pride.

Hofstra drives down field, face 4th and 1 with 49 seconds left
Hofstra has converted on third down twice in this series. Theyre on the Delaware 20 yard line with 49 seconds left and 4th and 1. We'll see if they can convert.

Thaxton sets up Butler touchdown, Hens re-take lead
Delaware now leads 28-24 after a 72 yard reception from Pat Devlin to Phillip Thaxton to the three yard line setting up Jerry Butler's second touchdown of the game. Delaware drove 93 yards on that series after a reversed Hofstra interception for a touchdown. There was an offsides penalty on Hofstra to negate the play. It took three plays for the Hens to get in from the three yard line, though. It's clear that the Hens miss Jackson's presence. Prior to Butler's TD, David Hayes was unsuccessful twice.

Hens defense forces punt as time runs out in third quarter.
Delaware will need to continue to hold off the Pride until Devlin and company can get into gear. Devlin takes over at their own seven yard line. We'll see if they can turn things around in the fourth quarter.

Devlin intercepted by Jordan Dangerfield, Hofstra takes over
Devlin's pass was intended for Mark Duncan, who was tripped up by a Hofstra defender. The officials ruled incidental contact, but the Delaware Stadium crowd isn't happy with the decision. Hofstra got by with a free-bee. The last thing the Hens need right now is to get unlucky. They're already playing below their potential.

Hofstra QB Christopher hits Anthony Nelson in endzone, Hofstra takes 24-21 lead
On eight plays, and 78 yards, Cory Christopher took the Pride to the endzone. The drive was highlighted by a 24 yard run by Pride RB Kwabena Asante to the 16 yard line.
Delaware's defense hasn't been on-point all game, and it has finally caught up with them. The Hens are being out-played by a team that isn't as good as them right now. With 5:00 left in the third quarter, lets see if the Hens can get it together and come out with a win. After all, that is what they were supposed to do.

Jackson out for game with left knee injury
The Hens lost their power-back with a knee injury. Jackson had the majority of short-yardage carries in the first half. Jerry Butler had been playing over Freshman David Hayes to start the game, but Hayes got his first carry this series and will likely see a lot more time with Jackson down.
Jackson's absence could be detrimental during crunch time in short-yardage situations. We'll see how Keeler handles Jackson's injury.

Hofstra's Henry Greco nails FG, Hens lead 21-17
After 6 plays and 13 yards following the Devlin fumble, Hofstra cut Delaware's lead to just four points on a Greco field goal. Devlin and company need to make a statement on this next drive or the game will continue to slip away from them.

Devlin fumbles, Hofstra recovers on Delaware 24
Hofstra LB Tressor Baptiste caused Devlin to fumble on the Hens first possession of the second half. Hofstra now has excellent field position moving forward. This wasn't the way the Hens intended to open the half. After that Hofstra score to end the first half, not much seems to be going right for the Hens.

Delaware holds slight statistical edge over Hofstra at halftime
The Hens lead at the half, but they have been anything but consistent. Devlin and company look miraculous on one series only to go three and out on the next. Meanwhile, Delaware's defense has mirrored the offense's inconsistency. Hofstra's touchdown at the end of the half was detrimental.
Delaware has nine first downs to Hofstras eight. However, Devlin is being out-passed. Hofstra QB Steve Probst has 83 total passing yards while Devlin has 66. Probst and Cory Christopher, Hofstra's other QB have a combined 130 yards on the day.
Luckily for the Hens, Jerry Butler is having a career day. He scored the first touchdown of the day, and a 51 yard run in the first quarter set up a Tommy Crosby touchdown shortly after.
While the Hens don't look perfect, they certainly look better than they did last week. Lets see if they can continue to whipe the dust-off and return to the same form they were in when they handily defeated UMass and Towson in weeks six and seven.

Hofstra scores as time runs out, cut Hens lead to 21-14 at half
Catapulted by a 50-yard kickoff return, Hofstra drove down the field in less than 30 seconds. Pride QB Steve Probst pitched the ball to FB Everette Benjamin on an option from the 2 yard-line to score. That was a huge momentum swing to finish the first half. In the span of 35 seconds, each team found the endzone once. Stay tuned for some halftime analysis.

Devlin connects to Duncan, Hens lead 21-7 with 31 seconds left in half
After an late-hit penalty that gave the Hens good field position, Delaware drove to inside their Hofstra's 10 yard line. Devlin attempted to hit Tommy Crosby on a fade route again, but was unsuccessful. Instead, he found Hens WR Mark Duncan in the middle of the endzone on the next play.

Hens block FG, escape another Hofstra score
Hens DE John Higginson blocked a 49-yard FG attempt by Pride K Roger Williams. Delaware takes over on their own 40 with 2:30 left in the half.

Weaver strikes again, connects for 51 yards
Pride WR Aaron Weaver caught the ball on a slant route, and proceeded to outrun Delaware defenders for 51 yards. The ball is now on Delaware's 31 yard-line with 3:15 left in the half.

Hens go three and out
Is it still last week? After a terrible defensive showing, the Hens were forced to punt again. The only person who seems to have been consistent lately is Ed Wagner, Delaware's punter, who, after a career day last week, just pinned the Pride on their own 11 yard line. At least the Hens defense will have good field position.

Probst hits Weaver in endzone, Hens lead cut to 14-7
The Pride steamrolled over the Hens defense on 13 plays, 65 yards and 6:23 seconds to score their first points with 7:14 left in the first half. Weaver dropped the first pass thrown to him in the endzone earlier in the series, but Probst finally found his man on 4th down from the two yard line. The Hens run defense was lacking in that drive. Most of the Pride's yards came on short runs and quick passes.

Devlin sacked, Hens punt for first time
That last series looked like last week. Devlin was sacked on third down due to a breakdown in protection from his offensive line. Lets hope that trend doesn't continue as the Hens move forward.

Devlin finds Crosby in endzone, Hens lead 14-0 in first quarter
Devlin hit Crosby from the 16-yard line on a fade route on the right side. Crosby used his height to go up and get it over the Hofstra defender. Delaware's scoring play was 7 plays, and 79 yards. 50 of those yards came on Jerry Butler's 50 yard run down the left sideline. Those two quick touchdowns should get the Hens back in the swing of things after last week's debacle.

Bratton down with left ankle injury
Hens DB is suffering an ankle injury. His return is questionable. For now, Marcus Burley, a freshman, will take over duties at cornerback. Burley has had a lot of experience this season taking over for Bratton. We'll see if the Pride try to go after him.

Jerry Butler turns the corner, gains 50 yards
This might be shaping up to be a career day for RB Jerry Butler. His previous career-long run was 22 yards. The Hens now hove the ball at Hofstra's 30.

Pride forced to punt, Hens take over
Delaware's 'D' looked good in that series. The allowed one first down, but got the job done. Anthony Bratton limped off the field and was replaced by Marcus Burley, though. We'll see what the status on Bratton is later in the game. Bratton has had an injury-plagued season.

Jerry Butler finds endzone, Hens lead 7-0
Hens RB Jerry Butler ran the ball in from the two yard line. Delaware's drive came on a 12 play, 43 yard drive in 5:39. Leon Jackson was the star of that show, converting two fourth downs and one third down to keep the drive alive. That was Senior Jerry Butler's first rushing touchdown of his career. It must be nice for the Senior to finally find the endzone on Senior day. Butler is one of the leading kick returners in the FCS.

Leon Jackson gets converts on fourth down
Hens RB Jackson plowed his way through the line to convert on fourth down. That was huge for the Hens to keep the early momentum going.

Hofstra goes three and out, Devlin will get first chance
If Devlin can make a drive early, he will redeem himself from last week's disaster early. This will be huge for the confidence of Delaware. Remember, they haven't scored a touchdown in three weeks now, as the week before the JMU game was a bye week. After an unsportsmanlike penalty, Delaware will have fantastic field position at Hofstra's 43 yard line. Jerry Butler is starting the game at running-back-likely an honor of being a senior on senior day.

Pride wins toss, chooses to recieve
Hofstra returned the ball to their own 26 yard line. Good field position for the Hens. Lets see if they can make the most of it.

Brisk but Nice
It's 50 degrees and sunny in Newark today. You couldn't ask for a better day to play football. This will be an improvement from last week's cold, rainy fiasco. Devlin had trouble throwing the ball last week, and the line had trouble with protection. Let's see if the nice weather helps Delaware.
Seeing as it is Armed Forces Day, there are paratroopers landing on the 50 yard line.

Welcome to Delaware Stadium
Welcome to Delaware Stadium. Today the 5-3 Hens take on the 4-4 Hofstra Pride. The Hens are coming off an embarrassing loss last week at the hands of JMU. Delaware lost 20-8 in a game that they didn't score a touchdown. For more on last week's game, and a preview of today's game, check out the Review's sports page at www.udreview/sports.

Field Hockey prepares for CAA tournament

2009-11-02T16:04:00.003-05:00

The Hens' loss to Drexel yesterday left Delaware ranked second in the conference. The Hens finished the regular season with a 12-5, (6-2 Colonial Athletic Association) record, which is a tremendous improvement upon last year's finish. On Saturday, Delaware will host James Madison University, who the Hens defeated, 2-1, earlier this season, but who just edged out Northeastern University, one of only two conference teams to defeat Delaware this year, in double overtime.

Should they defeated JMU again, the Hens will face the winner of the Drexel-Hofstra matchup in the CAA championship game on Sunday afternoon. The last game showed they want it. The Hens scrambled to outshoot Drexel 14-11, in the 4-2 decision. Eight different Delaware players had shots on goal. The effort was there Friday, the Delaware just needs to finish in their upcoming (let's be optimistic) games.

Delaware vs. JMU live game blog

2009-10-31T11:20:00.034-04:00

The Hens offense couldn't seem to get going and struggled with a JMU defense that sacked Devlin eight times. JMU earned its first Colonial Athletic Association win of the season.

Hens lose to Dukes 20-8.
The game ended after a safety that gave Delaware two more points.

Devlin trying to engineer a comeback.
Devlin connects with Thaxton for 4 yards, bringing the ball to the Hens' 32 yard line. Again Devlin found Thaxton on a 11-yard completion. Devlin next teamed up with Duncan, who caught for another 22 yards. With the ball now in Dukes territory, Devlin passed to Crosby, landing a spot on the 24-yard line from which to throw to Duncan. Another Crosby completion brought the ball to the 9-yard line before a Delaware timeout with 3:17 left in the game. The Hens then lost ten yards after Devlin was sacked an eighth time. Nelson broke up Devlin's pass intended for White. The Hens' progress is stymied again.

JMU bides time.
Sullivan rushed for three yards before an false start penalty moved the Dukes back five yards. JMU kept using Sullivan to move the ball on the drive until Goff's 29-yard punt.

Hens try to rally with 9:57 remaining.
Devlin came up short of completion on a pass to Mackey and was soon after sacked for loss of 8 yards. An exciting pass from Devlin, after a scramble, was ruled incomplete.

Thorpe shows off receivers, JMU makes it a two-score game for the Hens.
Thorpe passed to Caussin for 16 yards to Delaware's 48-yard line then carried another four. Thorpe then found Bosco Williams for another 12 yards followed by a Sullivan completion that earned four yards. Again, Thorpe found receiver McCarter to advance again. Sullivan and Thorpe each carried, bringing the Dukes teasingly close to the end zone before Sullivan scored another Dukes touchdown. Wright kicked for an extra point to lead 20-6.

Dukes end quarter moving forward.
After a Delaware timeout, Yancey carries for four yards to the 21 yard line. Thorpe connected with Turner for another 11 yards before carrying to gain another three yards.

Hens struggle to respond.
Devlin's pass to Mackey was knocked down by Bryant. The Hens frustration continued as Devlin overshot White before a pass to Butler was limited to three yards gained.

JMU extends lead to 13-6.
Yancey rushed for two yards. Thorpe completed 53-yard pass to McCarter. Thorpe carried four yards to the Delaware 7 then failed to connect with Caussin. Dukes increased lead, scoring a touchdown off a pass to Newman.

Delaware gives up ball on downs.
Devlin was sacked for the fifth time. Devlin finds Duncan for 17 yards, then struggled with dropped passes.

Walters saves touchdown, forces fumble.
Striefsky kicks off 62 yards. Thorpe rushed two yards to the JMU 40 yard line. Sullivan ran for loss of one yard. Thorpe completed a pass 51-yard pass to McCarter to the Delaware 5 who then fumbled at the ten. Charles Graves capitalized on the mistake and carried back up to the 43.

Hens answer with second field goal.
Wright kicked off 53 yards for the Dukes. Jackson ran for no gain to the Delaware 42 yard line. Devlin completed pass to Thaxton for 21 yards. Jackson then gained ten yards for the Hens before Devlin rushed another 12 yards. Jackson earned another five yards, bringing the ball to the ten yard line. Devlin completed a pass to Jackson to lose four yards before Thaxton dropped a pass from Devlin. Striefsky kicked another field goal to narrow JMU's margin to one point.

Striefsky kick off to start third quarter. Dukes grab the lead.
Thorpe passed to Caussin for 27 yards before Sullivan's 2-yard carry to advance the Dukes to Delaware 46-yard line. Thorpe then failed to connect with McCarter but found Noble for 31 yards. Yancey rushed three yards and Thorpe ran 12 yards to put JMU ahead. Dixon Wright secures extra point making the game 7-3 with 12:54.

End of second quarter, 3-0 Delaware.
The first half was a defensive struggle. The skies cleared up and rain stopped during the quarter.

Hens move forward, slowly but steadily.
Duncan catches pass for 16 yards before Crosby drops Devlin's next ball. Devlin tried to hit Mackey but the pass was broken up by Pat Williams. Devlin finally finds Butler for 4 yards. Drive ends with Wagner's punt.

JMU mirrors Delaware's frustration.
Sullivan rushed eight yards before Thorpe runs for loss of three. Delaware uses timeout with 1:23 left on the clock. Yancey carried for no gain and Delaware calls third timeout of the half at 1:16 to go. Goff punted 41 yards to end drive.

Dukes frustrate Hens offense.
Dukes make fourth sack of the day, taking Hens back 7 yards. Devlin tried to find Duncan but the pass was incomplete. Devlin is brought down rushing for one yard. Wagner punts for 50 yards.

Hens penalty
Sullivan carried for loss of one. Thorpe connects with Turner for 5 yards. Bratton stops Turner's second five-yard carry of the drive before a Delaware timeout. JMU drive ended in Delaware penalty for holding.

Wagner kicks eighth longest punt in school history.
Devlin sacked for loss of eight. Delaware penalty for false start loses five yards for the Hens. Devlin carried five yards before Wagner's 73-yard punt puts the ball back at the two-yard line.

Bratton intercepts Thorpe.
Dukes complete first pass of game. Caussin received for 28 yards. Yancey rushed another two yards to the 50-yard line before Thorpe carried into Hens ground.

Devlin interception, his first this season.
Striefsky kicks off for the Hens. JMU began drive with a late-hit penalty. Reynolds rushed six yards for the Dukes and Sullivan carried again for a loss of two, stopped by Bratton and Gilbeaux. Dukes called time out with 10:57 remaining. Turnover on downs. Duncan catches pass for 6 yards to the Hens' 35-yard line. Jackson gains another six yards for Delaware on two plays. Devlin's pass intended for Duncan is intercepted by Jon Williams.

Hens get on the scoreboard.
Devlin completed pass to Butler who then rushed for a total 18 yards on two plays. JMU's McGee broke up the play. A pass to Thaxton for six yards set up Striefsky's season-long 34-yard field goal to extend his school record.

Quarter ends scoreless.
Butler rushed for one yard, followed by Crosby reception for another eight yards. Jackson rushed four yards to earn a first-down for the Hens on the 35-yard line. Butler gained another three yards before the Dukes sacked Devlin. Devlin responded hitting Thaxton on a 26-yard pass.

Delaware takeover at the 22-yard line.
Jakarie Jackson runs for 12 yards, sparking a chain of carries for the Dukes. Thorpe and Yancey gained yards for JMU before Delaware returned 20 yards.

Hens fake field goal.
After two completions to Nihja White, Ed Wagner took off on a run on the field goal attempt and was stopped well short.

Hens forced to punt again.
On the punt by Ed Wagner, the Hens got a break as it deflected off a JMU player and was recovered by Anthony Walters. They now have first set of downs starting in JMU territory.

Dukes for touchback.
JMU responded to Delaware's three and out with one of their own. Both teams struggled with their passing game on their first drives.

Hens forced to punt.
Devlin and company couldn't get started, a tipped pass botched snap and sack saw them go three and out.

Dukes or Hens kick off
The players take the field in front of a lacking crowd. The usually bustling student section is mostly empty. The Hens prepare to battle the same elements that kept their fans away.
JMU wins the toss and defers to Delaware. The Hens defend North end.

Starting line-ups:

Delaware offense:
TE Trevor Mooney
WR Mark Mackey
WR Mark Duncan
WR Tommy Crosby
LT Shea Allard
LG Corey Nicholson
C Rob McDowell
RG Gino Gradowski
QB Pat Devlin
RB Jerry Butler

Delaware defense:
LE Chris Morales
LT Siddiq Haynes
RT Brandon Guilbeaux
RE John Higginson
OLB Paul Worrilow
MLB Benard Makumbi
OLB Andrew Harrison
CB Anthony Walters
SS Anthony Bratton
FS Charles Graves
CB Tyrone Grant

James Madison offense:
TE Mike Caussin
WR Rockreed McCarter
WR Marcus Turner
LT Theo Sherman
LG Roane Babinton
C Donny Smith
RG Dorian Brooks
RT Brandon Monroe
QB Justin Thorpe
FB Donnell Brown
TB Jamal Sullivan

James Madison defense:
DE Arthur Moats
DT Ronnell Brown
DT Sam Daniels
DE D.J. Bryant
LB Chase Williams
LB Pat Williams
WS Jon Williams
CB Scotty McGee
SS Vidal Nelson
FS Jakarie Jackson
CB Jamaris Sanders

Twenty-five minutes until kick-off
It's 62 degrees and raining for the Delaware Homecoming game. Weather.com predicts it won't get any prettier for the Hens. Delaware will look to extend its winning streak with a fourth victory this afternoon. The Hens need to run with the momentum they've picked up in the last few weeks. The Dukes are playing with a chip on their shoulder, looking to take their first conference win away from the game.

Howard to play in All-Star Game

2009-10-22T23:20:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday, the National Field Hockey Association announced its selections to the 2009 Division I Senior All-Star team. Not surprisingly, Casey Howard was of six CAA athletes chosen to play on Nov. 21.

Adding Howard to the list had to be an easy choice. She's one of the best players Delaware has ever seen. Howard is climbing up the UD career goals list--she has 46, with three regular-season games remaining. Last weekend she became one of four Hens players ever to reach 100 points.

The best part about this is that Howard seems to be picking up momentum with every benchmark she passes. With two CAA player of the week selections, school records and a national offensive player of the week pick among her accolades, she's practically having them thrown at her.

Tomorrow's game should be exciting if the Hen's performance since the Northeastern game indicates anything. After falling to powerhouse Northeastern, the Hens shut out the weaker Monmouth University with Howard's second hat trick this year. On Sunday, Delaware lost to No. 1 ranked Maryland. Tomorrow night the Hens face the much-less intimidating Towson....this game should be good, I'm excited.

Tennis off to encouraging start

2009-10-19T23:53:00.002-04:00

While the men’s tennis team got off to a slow start this season, losing 2-5 to Villanova, they’re now looking much stronger. The men’s team swept Saint Joseph’s University at home last week. The men are 1-1 for the season and have done fairly well in three non-scoring tournaments, picking up both titles and promising records.

At the season-opening Swarthmore tournament, Austin Longacre and Jeff Marshall both walked away singles champions of their flight. Later, in the ODU tournament, No. 4 doubles team Ryan Kent and Camilo Perez won a title. Then at Lehigh, the Hens went 10-2 in men’s doubles play at the tournament. At the Lehigh University’s Invitational, the men went 29-3 on the weekend. Longacre broke the all-time career victories record at the tournament, earning his 58th, 59th, and 60th wins.

Nine of the 10 Hens have winning singles records this season, as do six of the Delaware men’s doubles combinations. The men’s team is 25-11 overall in doubles play and 48-18 in singles matches.

Delaware’s women’s team opened play this time last year, sweeping both Villanova and St. Joseph’s, a feat they almost repeated this season. The Hens beat Villanova 7-0 then went on to defeat St. Joe’s, 6-1. Things are looking great for the Hens as far as dual play is concerned. The women are 2-0 on the season and boast a 75-24 overall singles record as well as a 37-8 doubles record on the season. Each of the seven Hens has a winning singles record, while seven doubles combinations have winning marks.

Tournaments have boded nearly as well for the women as for the men. At the ODU tournament, Ivana Petrich and Montse Ripoll earned a title in No. 1 doubles play, defeating four opponents that weekend. Then the Lehigh University’s Invitational, the women went 19-4. The No. 3 Megan Doran and Kristen Mueller doubles team won its matches both days of the Lehigh tournament. The women were 4-2 in doubles action at Lehigh and 15-2 in singles play.

This weekend, both the men’s and women’s teams will be tested again at Lehigh. They certainly seem ready.

Posted by Ellen Craven.

This week in Delaware sports

2009-10-19T17:51:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Men’s Soccer at Towson
3:00 PM

Friday, October 23, 2009

Field Hockey vs. Towson
7:00 PM

Ice Hockey vs. West Chester
7:00 PM

Volleyball vs. James Madison
7:00 PM

Women’s Soccer vs. Georgia State
7:00 PM

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Men’s and Women’s Tennis at Lehigh Tournament
TWO DAY EVENT

Men’s Soccer at UNC Wilmington
7:00 PM

Ice Hockey at West Chester
7:30 PM

Volleyball at George Mason
7:00 PM

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Rowing at Princeton Chase
ALL DAY

Women’s Soccer vs. UNC Wilmington
1:00 PM

Monday, October 26, 2009

Golf at UNC Wilmington
ALL DAY

Hens move up to No. 19 in The Sports Network poll

2009-10-19T17:43:00.002-04:00

The Sports Network Top 25 10/19/2009

The respect is coming slowly, but its still not all there. Although Delaware was bumped up from 23 to 19, UMass is still ranked ahead of them at 14. Two weeks ago, Pat Devlin threw four touchdowns and the Hens smoked the Minutemen, 43-27 (and it wasn't even that close). Add in the fact that the Hens have more wins than UMass (the Minutemen stand at 4-2 and the Hens stand at 5-2) and Delaware brought the No. 1 team in the country to the final seconds in a game Keeler's squad should have won.
At least Delaware is ahead of James Madison this week as opposed to last week's poll which placed the then 2-3 (now 2-4) Dukes ahead of the Hens.
Delaware's only decisive loss was to the No. 5 ranked William and Mary Tribe. It's hard to decifer what it is the Hens need to do to break that top 10. Lets hope the same people who vote on these polls don't make up the playoff selection committee come late November.

Devlin put on Peyton watch list

2009-10-19T10:42:00.001-04:00

The Sports Network announced today that Hens QB Pat Devlin would be placed on the Walter Payton Award watch list. (http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=cfoot2/indexpic.htm).

After all the hype, the S.E. Pennsylvania high school all-time leading passer and Penn State transfer is actually living up to expectations. After all the hype last year because of a certain Ohio State transfer named Robby Shoenhoft, I was a little weary about getting too pumped about Devlin. But, maybe he really is the next Flacco. All of a sudden Devlin ranks 6th in the nation in total passing yards, and his stats are only getting better. The Hens have won three games in a row, all of which have been offensive gems, and two of which were played in sub-par weather (Maine and Towson). Just imagine what the gunslinger can do on a dry, sunny day. If the Hens continue to perform, Devlin will make a run for the Walter Payton award.

Don't get your hopes up though. In 2007 the Hens featured a quarterback who was drafted in the NFL first round and a runningback who scored more than 30 touchdowns in the season. I was banking on Cuff for the Heisman, let alone the Walter Payton award. Needless to say, neither he nor Flacco won either.

Field hockey falls in disappointing showing

2009-10-18T16:20:00.005-04:00

The Hens lost 4-0 to the Terrapins this afternoon in a jolting match that's sure to have frustrated the team. Granted, No. 1 Maryland is 16-0 this year so the loss puts the Hens in good company. The Terrapins toppled powerhouses such as Virginia, Princeton and Wake Forest earlier this season. But still, realistically, the loss have been a lot better for the Hens.

The Hens are a nationally ranked team, but the Terrapins were toying with them. Maryland out-shot Delaware 21-5. The Terrapins keeper only had to make one save. Terrapins Emma Thomas and Nicole Muracco each had four and five shots on goal, respectively.

The Hens have proven what they're capable of this year, and that's better than what we saw this afternoon. Luckily, the upcoming game against Towson on Friday should completely turn things around for the Hens.

Posted by Ellen Craven.

Running game will be tested

2009-10-15T18:43:00.000-04:00

David Hayes, Leon Jackson and Phillip Thaxton have been getting a lot of praise in the media lately - myself included - for the revival of the running game in the Hens' last two wins.
The running attack rose from the ashes against teams that expected Devlin to pass. After all, the QB is the CAA's leading passer, and he hasn't slowed down in the last two games. Against UMass, he threw for four touchdowns - the first time that was done in Delaware since Joe Flacco in 2007. Devlin's passing opened up the running lanes... or did the running game open up Devlin's passing lanes? It's hard to tell, but we'll find out Saturday.
The weather forecast for Saturday in Towson is 43 degrees and rainly - much like today. For any quarterback, throwing in such conditions is not easy. Hayes, Jackson and Thaxton will really have to prove themselves and show us that they're the real deal. If they put up another William & Mary-like performance (-2 rushing yards) and Devlin can't throw the ball, the Hens will lose to a team that is not as good as them.
Sorry David, Leon and Phil, the pressure is on you for a change.

Field Hockey winning streak snapped

2009-10-15T08:23:00.003-04:00

The field hockey team dropped a 1-0 decision to Northeastern. The loss is unfortunate, but it should not take away from the Hens' success this season. The Colonial Athletic Association boasts four teams ranked in the top 20. Competition in the CAA is stiff. James Madison, Delaware and Drexel all have 4-1 conference records, and Northeastern rounds out the top with a 3-1 mark.

The season is in no way about to ease up on the Hens. They wait to face Drexel in their last regular-season game, what could likely be a fight for the top seed. In the meantime, the Hens will take on Maryland, the top-seeded team in the nation. It sounds intimidating, but the Hens have stepped up when called to this season and shouldn't be too worried. Casey Howard herself, let alone with the help of her teammates, is a formidable offensive threat in the CAA and the Delaware defense has the best goals against average in the conference while Noelle Diana leads the conference with a .80 goals against average. Diana and Michelle Drummonds are both recognized among conference leaders in goals saved and defensive saves, respectively.

The point: the Hens may not be ranked as high as some of their competitors, but they've proved they can hold their own.

The Hens are 9-3, (4-1 CAA) going into Friday's match against Monmouth.

Posted by Ellen Craven.

Delaware vs. UMass live game blog

2009-10-10T17:15:00.030-04:00

UMass scores in last minute attempt, cut lead to 43-27 as time winds down
Adam Fears caught a touchdown pass with 1:00 left in the game to cut the score to 43-27. It won't be enough for the Minutemen, though. Delaware ran down the clock in the final minute to post their first CAA win this season, and their first win against a ranked opponent. UMass stands at No. 12 in the Sports Network polls right now, but next week's poll will look much different. Delaware is now 4-2 and UMass drops to 3-2.

Striefsky nails 23 yard FG, Hens lead 43-20
With 2:11 left in the game, the Hens have this one in hand. Following a UMass onside kick attempt, Delaware got the ball on the Minutemen 40 yardline and drove down to the three. They were stuffed on the goal line, however, and had to settle for a field goal. The kick was Striefsky's third field goal of the game, which ties a school record that has been set many times.

Igwenagu runs 52 yards to endzone, cuts Hens lead to 40-20
Emil Igwenagu caught a Kyle Havens pass and proceeded to display a circus run to the endzone, dodging Delaware defensive backs throughout his run. It was Igwenagu's first career touchdown and it keeps the Minutemen alive. Quick scores is what UMass will need to come back.

Striefsky hits 24 yard FG, Hens lead Minutemen 40-13
With 8:37 left in the game, the Hens lead UMass 40-13 after Striefsky tied the school record with 32 career field goals. His kick capped off a drive that consisted of six plays and 33 yards. It will have to be a miracle for UMass to come back now.

Havens hits Krevis for touchdown
The Hens now lead UMass 37-13 after UMass drove for 12 plays and 64 yards resulting in a Kyle Havens to Andrew Krevis four yard touchdown pass. Krevis made a diving play in the endzone and kept his feet in bounds. Time is running out on the Minutemen, though. There is 11:29 left in the game and the Hens still have a commanding lead.

Graves posts third interception of season, sets up Devlin-Duncan touchdown
Charles Graves recorded a team-leading third interception of the season on a ball thrown by UMass QB Kyle Havens to give Devlin and company the ball on the UMass 27 yard line. On the next play, Devlin found Duncan on a seam route. It marks Devlin's fourth touchdown pass of the game - the first time a Hen quarterback has done that since Joe Flacco in Delaware's win against Navy in 2007. Striefskey nailed the extra point to make the score 37-6 with 1:50 left in the third quarter.

Duncan sets up Mooney Touchdown, Hens lead UMass 30-6
The Hens were quick to answer UMass' field goal. The Hens drove down the field on 9 plays, 62 yards taking 4 minutes and 22 seconds off of the clock. In the red zone, Devlin hit WR Duncan twice, the latter a 16 yard reception to put the Hens inside the five. On the next play, Devlin hit backup TE Trevor Mooney for his first career touchdown. Mooney is playing in place of an injured Colin Naugle. He started the season third on the depth chart behind a now injured Josh Baker and Naugle.

Cuko nails 37 yd FG, Hens lead UMass 23-6
Armando Cuko hit his second field goal of the game after a drive that started on the UMass 14. The Minutemen drove 86 yards and finally seemed to kick into gear. They couldn't reach the endzone, however On 3rd and goal from the nine yard line, Hens DL Chris Morales sacked UMass QB Kyle Havens. The Minutemen are finally starting to stabilize, but they will need more than field goals to catch the Hens.

Delaware punts for first time
Delaware's Ed Wagner booted a 39 yard punt in his first appearance of the game. It was the first time the Minutemen made the Hens punt, and it came on Delaware's first possession of the half. Perhaps UMass head coach Kevin Morris and his staff were able to fix some problems that the Minutemen were facing throughout the first half. We'll see if this keeps up.

Hens statistically dominate first half
Delaware leads UMass in every statistical category in the first half - and not just by a little. While the Minutemen have shown some flashes of what they can do offensively, the Hens defense has proven to be stifling - particularly on the ground game. Delaware has held UMass to just 15 rushing yards, and a respectable 99 passing yards. UMass has a total of 114 offensive yards on the half.
The Hens, on the other hand, have been a force to be reckoned with in the first half. David Hayes and Leon Jackson have established the run game, leading Delaware to 79 yards on the ground, and Nihja White has stepped up, along with Mark Duncan, to dominate the offensive game in the air. Devlin has 167 yards passing and has completed 11 of 16 passes while throwing for one interception. Altogether, the Hens have 246 total offensive yards to compare to UMass' 114 yards.
The Minutemen are a better team than they have shown in the first half. The only other time their defense has given up more than 20 points was in their 21-17 loss to Kansas State in the first game of the season, and their offense is accustomed to putting up 30-40 points a game. Look for them to make some adjustments in the second half. We'll see if it will be enough to come back from the deficit the Hens have put them in, though.

Hens run out clock, head into locker room up 23-3
At the end of the first half, Delaware leads UMass 23-3. The Hens had the ball as time ran out, and decided to let the clock run down rather than attempt another drive. The Delaware Stadium crowd was not pleased with the decision and Devlin and company was met with boos as they trotted into the locker room. The Blue Hen faithful have been too spoiled this game, as Delaware has continuously driven down the field, practically untouched by the UMass defense. It is clear that Delaware was a much better team in the first half, and the score is no fluke. The Hens commanded the ball on offense and stifled the Minutemen on defense throughout the entire 40 minutes. Stay tuned for some first half statistics.

Devlin fumbles while attempting to pass, UMass will get second chance
Tom Brady, anyone? It looked like the tuck rule, but this time it was ruled a fumble while Devlin was hit attempting to pass. UMass has the ball on the Delaware 49 yard line.

Cuko short on FG, Delaware takes over at 35
UMass couldn't capitalize. After three plays for no gain, the Minutemen sent out Cuko to attempt his second 50+ yard field goal of the game. This time, he was wide left on the 52 yard attempt. Delaware still leads UMass 23-3 with 4:41 left in the half.

Devlin intercepted by Miles, UMass takes over at Delaware 35
The Minutemen will have good field position for a change, as they take over at the Delaware 35 yard line following an interception by UMass DB Jeremy Miles. Its the second straight year Miles has intercepted the Hens. Its Delaware's first turnover of the game. We'll see if the Minutemen can capitalize.

White, Jackson set up Striefskey field goal
John Striefsky hit a 22 yard FG in a drive that featured Nahja White 39 yard and 18 yard receptions, and a powerful run game posed by Leon Jackson in the red zone. The drive was 12 plays for 64 yards and took 5:59 off of the clock. The Hens weren't able to get into the endzone, however. On 3rd and goal on the five yard line, TE Trevor Monney let a Devlin pass slip out of his hands in the back corner. The Hens now lead 23-3 with 9:22 left in the second quarter.

Cuko hits 51 yard FG, puts UMass on the scoreboard
Delaware now leads UMass 20-3 after UMass K Armando Cuko hit a 51 yard field goal. Cuko leads the CAA in field goals per game with three. With time running out in the first quarter, the Hens still have a commanding lead, but the Minutemen offense seemed to come alive in that last drive.

UMass Fumbles, Burley scores touchdown on recovery
The Hens now lead 20-0 with 4:17 left in the first quarter after Hens DB Marcus Burley recovered a fumble by UMass RB Tony Nelson. The fumble was caused by Delaware DE Chris Morales. Burley recovered the fumble and ran 42 yards untouched to the endzone.

Devlin hits Duncan on fade route for touchdown, Hens lead 13-0
The Hens took over on downs after a three and out by the Minutemen and were quick to capitalize. The Hens drove through UMass territory on 5 plays, 52 yards and 2 minutes and 23 seconds. Devlin's pass was 22 yards on the left side of the field. Duncan simply outran the UMass secondary. With 5:00 left in the first quarter, the Hens have a commanding lead.

Mark Mackey comes down with amazing catch in endzone, Hens lead 6-0
Delaware scored the first points of the game on a 15 yard reception from Devlin to WR Mark Mackey. Mackey went up with one hand in the back of the endzone to pull the ball in. Striefskey's PAT attempt was blocked though, and the Hens were unable to convert the extra point. Mackey's reception put a cap on a 9 play, 67 yard drive that took 3 minutes and 24 seconds.

UMass fumbles on 4th and 2, Hens take over
The Hens will take over on their own 33 after Paul Warrilow recovered a fumble by UMass QB Kyle Haven.

UMass wins toss, Hens defend North Endzone
The Minutemen won the toss, but Delaware gets to start the game defending the North Endzone, which could be vital once the Hens get the ball back. The Minutemen returned the ball to their own 40 yard line, where they will have good field position to start.

Wind could be a factor
Weather.com says the wind is coming from the northwest at about 10 mph, but it seems a lot windier than that. Delaware's flat landscape and the open parking lots around Delaware Stadium aren't slowing the gusts down. Flags our pointing toward the south endzone near the student section. Look for this to play into the game. Delaware has a throwing offense and wasn't able to establish a good running game until last week when David Hayes ran for 106 yards and Leon Jackson added another 61 to go along with two touchdowns. The Hens' backs will definitely be tested when they're heading north. If the Hens are defending the north endzone though, look for Devlin, the CAA leader in passing, to put on a show.

Welcome to Delaware Stadium.
Welcome to Delaware Stadium. This game could be vital for the Hens. Coming off of a strong win against Maine, Delaware needs to prove they can beat ranked opponents in order to stand out in the CAA and in the FCS.
Check out my column and our underpReview at Udreview.com/sports for more analysis previewing this week's match-up.

For now, lets take a look at the starting lineups...

Delaware Offense
TE Colin Naugle
WR Mark Mackey
WR Mark Duncan
WR Tommy Crosby
LT She Allard
LG Corey Nicholson
C Rob McDowell
RG Gino Gradkowski
RT Kevin Uhll
QB Pat Devlin
RB David Hayes

Delaware Defense
LE Chris Morales
LT Siddiq Haynes
RT Brandon Gilbeaux
RE John Higginson
OLB Paul Worrilow
MLB Benard Makumbi
OLB Andrew Harrison
CB Anthony Walters
SS Anthony Bratton
FS Charles Graves
CB Tyrone Grant

UMass Offense
TE Matt Silver
WR Victor Cruz
WR Julian Talley
LT Vladimir Ducasse
LG Josh Samuda
C John Ihne
RG Jared Chivers
RT Brian Ostaszewski
QB Kyle Havens
TB Tony Nelson
FB Chris Zardas

UMass Defense
DE Anthony Monette
DT Brandon Collier
NT Kyle Harrington
DE Michael Hanson
SLB Kurt Filler
MLB Tyler Holmes
WLB Eric Dickson
CB Corey Davis
SS Kumar Davis
FS Jeromy Miles
CB Ke'Mon Baeley

Men's Soccer On Three Game Winning Streak

2009-10-07T23:58:00.003-04:00

Delaware's Men's Soccer team beat the Drexel Dragons 2-1 in a thrilling CAA matchup on Wednesday night. The two goals were scored by senior forward Darren Christie. This win means the Hens have won three games in a row for the first time since 1998. They have also won four out of their last five and are now 2-1 in CAA play.

The Hens have finally returned to full-strength and look like a completely different team than earlier in the season. The return of junior Abdul Faisal Alhassan-Chibsah into the midfield has played a huge part of the Hens success. Chibsah gives the Hens another attacking threat in the middle of the field which helps free up space for Christie up top and captain Jon Scheer on the wings. Earlier in the year the Hens' lacked a creative force in the midfield and Christie and Scheer did not have enough space to attack. The Hens are also receiving a lot of contributions from their freshman. Brandon Paul has taken over the number one goalie spot and has gotten three shutouts, he also made a superb point-blank save towards the end of the Drexel game. Ben Raymond has added another attacking force, he has so far tallied one goal on the season and the versatile Dylan Gerstenfield has filled in at both left back and center midfield well. Gerstenfield has developed a great partnership in the middle with Ben Rodkey and thanks to the two of them, the midfield has done a much better job of keeping possession and controlling the game, yet another thing the Hens were failing at in the beginning of the year.

The backline has made huge strides along with the rest of the team. Led by veterans Kyle Davies and Mike Stone on the wings the defense was immense tonight. They got in the way, blocked shots, and forced Drexel to make difficult crosses. Freshman Darren O'Connor, who started the year off playing midfield, is a huge physical force in the center of the backline. O'Connor made tackle after tackle tonight and broke up many attacks before he was controversially sent off with his second yellow card. His centerback partner and fellow freshman Roberto Vernaschi, who had a slow start to year with some problems marking attackers especially in the Lehigh game, played his best game in his short career at Delaware. The defense was a huge reason the Hens were able to withstand the furious second half assault by the Dragons.

The Hens will try to make it four in row against Hoftsra this Saturday October 10th at 10:00 AM at Delaware Mini-Stadium. Check out the paper or online issue of the UDReview next Tuesday for a full recap, game story on the thrilling 2-1 victory over Drexel.

McCardell named national player of the week

2009-10-07T13:13:00.004-04:00

Hens forward Amanda McCardell was just named the WomensFieldHockey.com National Player of the Week after her performance last weekend against ODU and William and Mary. This is the second-straight week a Delaware field hockey player has been recognized nationally as Casey Howard received the same honor last week.

Posted by Ellen Craven.

Field Hockey moves up in national rankings

2009-10-06T22:36:00.005-04:00

The Colonial Athletic Association now boasts four nationally ranked field hockey programs as the Hens just received a No. 17 ranking on the Kookabura/NFHCA Division 1 National Coaches Poll, released today. The Hens also moved up from No. 19 to No. 12 in the WomensFieldHockey.com poll.

Posted by Ellen Craven.

Winning streak carries field hockey into bye week

2009-10-05T21:30:00.004-04:00

Four conference rivals down, four to go and the Hens are riding a nine-game winning streak, the longest single-season streak in school history, as they lead the Colonial Athletic Association. Their last victories came over Old Dominion University,4-0, on Friday and William and Mary, 2-0, on Saturday. The Hens are now 9-2, (4-0 CAA.)
On another high note, the Hens are on their longest scoring streak since 1998, posting multiple-goals in nine straight games. These girls look unstoppable. They’ve upset ranked opponents ODU and JMU, and only Drexel remains in the conference as a real threat to the Hens.
Against ODU, Casey Howard picked up another two goals, her 14th for the season. Amanda McCardell and Tori Karsten also scored for the Hens.
Rae Everson and McCardell both scored against the Tribe. Plus, Noelle Diana had back-to-back shutouts last weekend bringing her total to three this season. The last time the Hens had this kind of success was back in 1985 and 1986 when an 11-game winning streak bridged the two seasons.
Last week, Howard was named National Player of the Week by WomensFieldHockey.com and CAA Player of the Week for her part in the Hens success. The team made it onto the 19th spot of the Womensfieldhockey.com national poll on Sept. 28. Howard is already being given titles for her outstanding play this season, hopefully the Hens can grab a conference title to match it. They should definitely have enough confidence to push last season’s finish out of mind and get ready for the second half of CAA play after their bye week.

Posted by Ellen Craven.

Field Hockey triumphs in CAA

2009-09-28T15:23:00.003-04:00

The Hens confidently returned from Virginia this weekend with two big wins, earning them a 7-2 (2-0 Colonial Athletic Association) record. First, the Hens beat VCU (5-2, 0-1 CAA) Friday afternoon, 3-2, in their third-straight overtime victory against the Rams. Then on Sunday, they became the first CAA team to defeat James Madison University since 2007, ending a 14-game winning streak in the conference with a 2-1 decision. Casey Howard scored the game-winning goal against the No. 14-ranked JMU during the 17th minute, snapping a four-game losing streak to the Dukes.
The Hens have put together a powerful, diffuse offense this season. Alexis Esbitt scored the game-winner against VCU and Casey Howard and Rae Everson each contributed goals. Assists on the Howard’s goal came from Everson and standout Missy Woodie. In the JMU game, Tori Karsten and Howard netted goals assisted by Esbitt and Schlezes, respectively. Both teams had 8 shots in the JMU game—but the Hens made theirs count.
It’s not just offense that’s winning the Hens’ games. The Delaware defense held off powerhouse JMU’s 5-0 shot advantage and a 9-0 edge in penalty corners during the second half on Sunday.
Howard’s performance this weekend earned her the seventh spot on the university’s career goals list and a No. 2-ranking in the CAA for goals scored, total points and game-winning goals. Woodie leads the conference with six assists in nine games. Last week, She was selected CAA Co-Player of the Week, which she shared with Old Dominion University’s Katie Ueberroth.
With their seventh win the Hens hit yet another benchmark on the return to their 2004 conference-winning success. Like this season, in 2004 the Hens opened conference play with games against JMU, VCU, ODU and William and Mary. In 2004, the Hens dropped the ODU and Tribe games, so wins this week could put them in even better shape for a conference title than they were in back then.
The Hens will host their next two games against Old Dominion and William & Mary on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Hens are undefeated at home but ODU may give them some trouble. The No. 15 Lady Monarchs just beat No. 10 Duke in overtime 3-2 on Sunday. Delaware has a 0-7 record against Old Dominion. The Hens have beaten the Tribe for three straight years. A shootout decided last year’s game, let’s hope another win is in store for them.

Field Hockey ready for CAA

2009-09-20T21:44:00.001-04:00

In their final week before conference play, the Delaware field hockey team claimed its first shut out since 2007 against Temple on Friday night and extended its winning streak to five games with a 2-1 victory over California this afternoon. Casey Howard netted two for the Hens and now leads the conference with 10 goals scored. Last year the team managed only 16 goals the whole season. Howard is well on her way to matching that single-handedly. Supporting Howard are five other Hens who have racked up at least five points each in just seven games. Looks like football isn’t the only team clawing its way back up from a disappointing 2008 season.
This Friday, the Hens will travel to play Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond. Delaware will enter CAA action coming off of five-game winning streak. Only Hostra, with two straight wins, also enters with any real momentum. In 2008, the Hens ousted VCU 2-1 in overtime play, so it should be a good game. The Rams (5-1, 0-0 CAA) are a young team with many new faces this year. The Hens should watch out for VCU’s Kelsey Scherrer, who has already been named CAA Rookie of the week twice.

Posted by Ellen Craven.

Delaware vs. Delaware State in the Route 1 Rivalry

2009-09-19T11:42:00.102-04:00

27-17 Hens
Glaud kept the ball for a one yard touchdown.

Second and six at the 21. 1:06 left in the game.

First down at the Hens 47 for the Hornets. 1:35 left in the game.

Striefsky's kick is returned to the 26. First and ten Hornets.

27-10 Hens
Leon Jackson rushes three yards up the middle for a TD. Striefsky misses the PAT.

On a misdirection, Devlin kept the football for a 12 yard rush to the DSU 3.

DSU set up for an onsides kick but kicked off full, Jerry Butler returns the kick all the way to the DSU 29. Add five yards to the return after offsides on the kicking team.

21-10 Hens
Jerome Strums returns an interception 71 yards for a TD.

Hayes rushes for the first and gets facemasked. Ball on DSU 45.

David Hayes on the carry. Second and one after his nine yard rush.

Field goal attempt is blocked by Brandon Gilbeaux, recovered by Siddiq Haynes. Delaware will start on their 21.

Glaud is sacked on third and three. Fourth down, Flickinger will attempt the field goal.

Second and 14. Delaware time out.

Hornets have moved the ball to the Hens 22 yard line for a first and ten.

21-3 Hens
17-yard touchdown pass from Devlin to Rob Jones (first career TD).

First down after the seven yard completion to Rob Jones. Ball at the 43.

Forced fumble by Siddiq Haynes, recovered by Michael Atunrase.

Same formation, but Glaud rushed to the center before the snap and took the keeper. First down DSU at the 40.

That third and one is more like third and inches. DSU is in a singleback formation, Glaud throws an incompletion to Moore. Fourth and one, got to believe DSU will go for it.

14-3 Hens, End of the 3rd quarter
DSU will have a third and one coming up at the beginning of the fourth.

Striefsky's kick is returned to the 35, but a personal foul on the Hens gives the Hornets the ball at the 50.

14-3 Hens
Devlin keeps the ball for his second rushing TD of the day.

Devlin completes a long pass to Tommy Crosby for 38 yards, first and ten at the DSU 2.

Devlin kept the ball and rushed to the DSU 40.

Devlin completes a 19 yard pass to Mark Mackey for a first down at the 49.

Glaud drops back and swings the pass to Jackson. It's close, we're waiting on the spot. Not close enought. First down Hens.

Fourth and two after an incomplete pass by Glaud. Offense is staying on the field.

Injury Update: Higginson has a back contusion, is expected to return.

John Higginson is down on the field, but gets up and walks off under his own power.

On third and three, Glaud completes a short pass to Randall over the middle which he takes for 19 yards. First and ten at the Hens 39.

After offsetting personal fouls, the Hornets take over at the 35.

On third and two, Hayes rushes for no gain. Wagner comes in to punt.

Pass intercepted by Anthony Bratton at the seven yard line. He looked like a super hero flying through the air to grab that one. First and ten Hens.

Glaud is sacked by John Higginson. Glaud also fumbled but the ball was recovered by the Hornets. Loss of four, third and 11 coming up.

Glaud's pass is complete to Darius Jackson for 14 yards. First and ten at the Hens 21.

On third and eight, Glaud completes a pass to Larrone Moore for 15 yards. First and ten on the Hens 35.

Anthony Walters breaks up a pass to Charles. I mean, he punished him.

Glaud completes a 21 yard pass to Jackson on third down. First and ten Hornets at the 50.

Third and seven pass is incomplete to Schenauer, as the refs say it hit the ground. Wagner's punt is fielded at the 16, brought back to the 26.

After Flickinger's kick to start the 2nd Half, Jerry Butler brings the ball back to the 29.

7-3 Hens, End of the 1st Half
Check out www.udreview.com for Managing Sports Editor Pat Maguire's halftime story.

Devlin leads the offense back onto the field. An illegal substitution penalty brings the ball a half yard closer to the end zone. Leon Jackson didn't make it into the end zone.

Phillip Thaxton gains 16 down to the one, with one second left on the clock. Last time out was taken. Do they take the three points or go for the seven?

Devlin completes another pass to Duncan who jumps out of bounds at the DSU 17. Second and two.

Devlin's pass is complete to Duncan for 12 yards. Keeler calls another time out. First and ten at the DSU 25, one time out left.

Phillip Thaxton takes a reception 21 yards to the DSU 37. First down, UDEL time out. They still have two left.

Lochner's punt went an astonishing two yards. First and ten at the Hens 42 with 29 seconds left.

DSU went empty backfield with five receivers, but Glaud was sacked by Chris Morales. DSU has taken its final time out with 42 seconds left on the clock. Ball is at the Hens 44 for third and 19.

Injury update: Tyrone Grant is having issues with his hamstring, he's questionable to return.

Zacharri Charles just burnt two Hens defenders for a first down to the Hens 35.

First and 20 at the DSU 43 after a holding penalty on the Hornets.

Leon Jackson tries for the first on third down but only gets a yard. Wagner's punt isn't a good one and trickles out of bounds at the Hens 47. It was only a 13 yard punt.

Hayes rushes for the first down. First and ten at the 26.

Same trap play again, this time it was to the left by Hayes again. It's third and one.

Devlin kept the ball and lowered his shoulder for a gain of five.

After a QB keeper for eight yards, Lochner is on to punt. Caught at the 15 by Rob Jones but he's hit immediately. First and ten at the Hens 15.

Anthony Walters just dominated Erick Jones after he caught the ball, it's a loss of eight. Third and 12.

Tyrone Grant stands up and walks off under his own power. DSU first down at their 30.

Pass to Mark Mackey doesn't reach the first down marker. Wagner is on to punt, it's a beautiful punt to the 25 but it's brought back to the 30. We've got a Hen down on the field.

Devlin is crushed by John Sutton. Loss of seven, third and 13 at the Hens 18.

Leon Jackson tries the same trap play that Hayes tried earlier and gets four off of it. This time they ran it to the right instead of the left.

Impressive spinning and juking return by Rob Jones, but a holding penalty brings the ball from the DSU 49 to the Hens 21.

Randall is shut down yet again, this time by Andrew Harrison. Nick Lochner is on to punt for DSU.

Third and 14 at the DSU 35 after a rush for a loss by Randall and a scramble for no gain by Glaud.

Devlin is sacked on third down for a loss of five. Wagner is in to punt, Makumbi crushes the return man at the DSU 39.

Hayes tries a trap run, but picks up just one.

Flickinger's attempt goes wide right. The Hens will take over at their 27.

Glaud completes his third pass of the day for seven yards. Jackson heard footsteps and dropped the ball, it's fourth and three. Flickinger is on the field for a 44-yard attempt.

Glaud should have been sacked but escaped and rushed for a first down. First and ten at the Hens 34.

7-3 Hens, End of 1st
DSU will start the 2nd at the Hens 44 yard line.

Randall breaks off a big run for 16 yards to get another first down.

Delay of game on DSU. First and 15 at the DSU 40.

Third and one after a nine yard run by Randall and an incomplete pass by Glaud. Randall gets a great spot to the DSU 45 for another Hornet's first down.

Jason Randall runs up the middle for a first down to the DSU 34. First and ten.

Hens get lucky on this play. QB Anthony Glaud wanted to go deep but it fell incomplete.

DSU takes over at the 20 after a touch back. First and ten.

Phillip Thaxton seemingly reached a first down, but a bad spot brings the ball back to the DSU 40. After a delay of game call, Ed Wagner punts from the 45.

Devlin wanted to go long and hit Schenauer but the ball bounced off his hands. It's third and ten.

Leon Jackson takes it up the gut for a first down. Ball at the DSU 48.

It's third and one at the 49 after a nine yard pass to Duncan.

Flickinger's kick goes out of bounds, first and ten at the 40 for the Hens.

7-3 Hens
42-yard field goal by Flickinger

Three unsuccessful plays in a row, Riley Flickinger is on to kick a 42-yard field goal.

Interception thrown right to Marcus Burley, but there's a holding penalty on Delaware's Bernard Makumbi. That's going to negate the INT and move DSU up to the 25 for a first down.

Anthony Walters keeps Erick Jones from getting the first, but they're going for it on fourth.

Jason Randall breaks off a 31-yard rush. First and ten at the Delaware 40.

Striefsky's kick is taken back to the 30.

7-0 Hens
Pat Devlin dives for a touchdown on a QB keeper. That's his third rushing TD of the season.

Leon Jackson drags defenders with him down to the one, it's a first and goal at the one yard line.

Trevor Mooney drops a ball in the end zone. Third and three at the five.

However, a personal foul on Delaware State negates that attempt and it's first and ten at the DSU 12 for the Hens.

On third and four, Devlin lines up in the shotgun and throws it a few yards past Schenauer. Jon Striefsky is on to attempt a 42-yard field goal but it's wide left.

Ten yard reception by Mark Duncan leads to another Hen first down at the DSU 30.

Leon Jackson rushes for a yard and gets the first.

Third down pass to Mark Schenauer is one yard short, the Hens went for the quick snap but the Hornets called a time out quickly, as they had all kinds of players running on to and off of the field.

First down on a 12 yard catch by Colin Naugle.

Interception falls right through Anthony Walters hands. Hornets punted on fourth down, and the Hens will start at the Delaware 37.

Delaware won the toss and deferred, the Hornets will start off at the 28.

Hey everyone, welcome to the live blog of the first regular season meeting of in state rivals Delaware State University and The University of Delaware. We're going to keep you updated on all the biggest plays of the afternoon. We're just about to get started here at Delaware Stadium, so get those clicking fingers ready to refresh.

Decision time for Marcorelle

2009-09-16T12:59:00.002-04:00

Hens Senior LB Matt Marcorelle will have a crucial decision to make this week leading up to the Delaware State game on Saturday. The captain, who played limited playing time in the first two games of the season due to fractured debris in his leg, will have to decide weather to move on and play injured throughout the season, or sit out and apply for a sixth year of eligibility.
Head coach KC Keeler explained that Macorelle is a perfect candidate for a sixth year. The fifth year senior already missed a year in 2006 when he suffered a shoulder injury in the second week of the season against Albany.
Although Marcorelle has been one of the best defensive players in the Colonial Athletic Conference, he is often injured. The Hens need to decide if it is worth keeping him on the team while he is less than 100%. The other option is to save him for next year. That, however, would guarantee that he could not play for the rest of the year. Keeler said the decision is up to the captain. It should be interesting to see if he is on the field Saturday.

Men's Soccer Drops Home Opener

2009-09-15T21:52:00.004-04:00

The Hens lost to Lehigh tonight 5-1 in their first game in Delaware after playing the first four on the road. The loss now drops them to an 1-4 record. Sophomore midfielder Kyle Ellis scored the Hens' lone goal of the game. The Hens kept it close until the second half when the team seemed to tire out.

The squad started the game with four at the back, a diamond midfield, and two forwards up top. Lehigh did a good job of staying compact in the middle of the field to deny the attacking midfielder (Jon Scheer) the ball and also kept up high pressure on the Hens' backs which forced a lot of hopeless long balls. Lehigh's first goal was the result of some slick passing which forced a one-on-one situation with keeper Conrad Rusnak which Lehigh forward Austin Decker finished with ease. The Hens almost equalized off a corner kick but it was cleared off the line by the back post. Minutes later Lehigh midfielder Adam Gazda was able to convert a header off a corner kick due to some poor marking in the area.

Towards the end of the first half Delaware seemed to do a better job of keeping possession and switching the field to avoid Lehigh's forwards and midfielders high pressure. Darren Christie began to drift out wide from his forward position and was able to get open to start a couple of attacks. Christie made a nice run down the middle around a couple of defenders and was able to find Ben Raymond off a deflection who tapped to Ellis for his goal to give the Hens hope just before halftime.

Delaware started the second half better than the first as they appeared more attacking and had more possession, until Rusnak had to stop a Lehigh counter-attack with a nice reaction save. Darren O'Conner had an open chance from distance soar over the bar and then after that the floodgates opened. Lehigh midfielder Steven Avena scored a wonder-goal from at least 30 yards outside catching Rusnak off his line after a corner and then Gazda scored his second several minutes later after a rebound on a diving save by Rusnak. The Hens still struggled to keep possession and a poorly cleared header led to the fifth and final goal for Lehigh by Joe Puleo.

The Hens had two more scoring opportunities the rest of the game. The first was after Ben Rodkey and substitute Demar Stephenson were able to combine down the right wing and find Scheer open in the area but his shot was deflected out for a corner. Ellis also had a chance for his second goal of the game but his shot from distance could not find the back of the net as time ran out.

The soccer team's next game is part of a double header this Friday at Delaware Mini-Stadium. The first game is at 5:00 as the Women's team takes on Delaware State. The Men will play afterwards at 7:30 against Rider. Check out the chicken scratch blog for a summary and analysis of both games.

Field hockey turning things around

2009-09-15T21:17:00.004-04:00

The field hockey team won its third straight game on Saturday against Saint Joseph's. Last year they managed only three wins all season. By many measures, things are looking up from that uncharacteristic 2008 finish (3-15, 2-6 CAA). With a 4-2 victory, the Hens beat Saint Joseph's for the first time since 2006. Coach Miller mentioned that the Hens need to put two halves together and they've done well with that so far. The Hens outshot Saint Joseph's 18-7, firing nine shots each half. The girls came out strong and didn’t back down.
Other good news: Saturday’s victory was more of a team effort than we’d seen from the Hens earlier. Michelle Drummonds, Amanda McCardell, Kimmy Schlezes and Rae Everson each found the back of the net. Casey Howard, though scoreless this game, kept up her threatening presence and led the team with four shots on goal.
With each win the Hens pick up momentum—just what they want as they near conference opponents. On Friday night the Hens host Temple University—one of the three teams they beat last year. The more wins the girls can rack up before CAA play at the end of the month, the better off they’ll be.

Posted by Ellen Craven.

Exciting week ahead

2009-09-14T09:08:00.002-04:00

"The Route 1 Rivalry" kicks off this week. After over 80 years of refusing to play Delaware State, the first ever regular season match-up between the two has become quite possibly the biggest marketing campaign Delaware sports has seen in recent history. Rightfully so, I suppose. I do find it ironic that the University is trying to capitalize on a game that they described as "not worth-while" to them for the greater part of a century.
The anticipation is there, though. And, it's great to see President Patrick Harker and new AD Bernard Muir embracing it. Check out my cohort Matt Water's piece on the rivalry in this week's issue of the Review, which comes out tomorrow.
Let's not forget that Delaware has been playing Del. State in every other sport for decades now, and the "Route 1 Rivalry" will really kick off Friday night when the women's soccer team takes on the Hornets at Delaware mini-stadium. The five o'clock match-up will precede an anticipated volleyball meeting with North Carolina. The Hens volleyball squad is stepping outside of the CAA to take on an ACC school. Bonnie kenney's team considers themselves to be an elite mid-major. Their match-up with the Tar Heels serves as proof.
Lets not forget Saturday morning before the big game. Hens fans get to cheer on the Delaware cross country team on their own turf. The Delaware Invitational kicks off with the women at 10:30 AM.
The Review sports staff is looking forward to it all. Check into udreview.com and the chicken scratch sports blog for updates.

Heart breaker, but confidence booster

2009-09-12T20:01:00.002-04:00

Hens' head coach KC Keeler sat in a post game press conference along with QB Pat Devlin and DB Charles Graves after the game Saturday lamenting their loss.
"You can't let good teams hang around," Keeler said.
The rhetoric was of anger and disappointment, but it served as proof that Delaware was aware of the feat they had just accomplished. They SHOULD have beaten the number 1 team in the country. While they weren't successful, they established themselves as an elite team in the CAA, and in the FCS.
Today's game was a test for the Hens. It gave some insight into whether they'd be more like the team from 2007 that appeared in the national championship or the team from 2008 that finished the season 4-8. They made big plays on special teams, only turned the ball over once (which, unfortunately turned out to be crucial), and moved the ball against arguably the best FCS defense in the country.
The Hens need to continue to get better and mesh as a team. Next week against Delaware State is a good chance to regroup and move on.

University of Delaware vs. Richmond Live Blog

2009-09-12T15:05:00.015-04:00

Hey everyone. Welcome to the second game of the season vs. Richmond. This is a true test for the Hens, coming off of a 35-0 win over Division II opponents West Chester. Richmond, the defending FCS champions, will prove to be a tough for the Hens, and will be a measuring mark for Devlin and the rest of Delaware early in the season. The Spiders defeated Duke last week 24-16.
Kickoff will be at 3:36 due to TV scheduling.

Tentative starting lineups:
Hens offense:
TE Colin Naugle
WR Mark Mackey
Rob Jones
Mark Schenauer
LT Shea Allard
LG Corey Nicholson
C Rob McDowell
RG Gino Gradowski
RT Kevin Uhll
QB Pat Devlin
RB David Hayes

Hens Defense
LE Chris Morales
LT Saddiq Haynes
RT Brandon Gilbeaux
RE John Higginson
OLB Paul Worrilow
MLB Matt Marcorelle
OLB Andrew Harrison
CB Anthony Walters
SS Anthony Bratton
FS Charles Graves
CB Tyrone Grant

Spiders Offense
TE William Bischoff
ZR Kevin Grayson
XR Jordan Mitchel
LT Jared Decker
LG Matthew McCracken
C Drew Lachenmayer
RG Chris Kondorossy
RT Michael Silva
QB Eric Ward
FB Ben Keating
TB Justin Forte

Spider Defense
LE Pierre Turner
NG Parker Miles
NT Martin Parker
RE Nicholas Battle
SLB Patrick Weldon
MLB Collin McConaghy
WLB Eric McBride
LCB Justin Rogers
SS Michael Ireland
FS Derek Hatcher
RCB David Horton

Keep checking in for live updates in what's going on in the game. It should certainly be interesting to see how the Hens can fair against a tough opponent.

Marcorrelle not starting, Hens Defer toss
It was just announced that Hens LB Matt Marcorelle will not start, but will likely play in today's game. Marcorelle has been battling injury since last season.
The Spiders return comes to their 32 yard line, where their drive will begin.

Hens take over on downs at their own six, drive to midfield
(8:02 1st quarter) After forcing the Spiders to punt after a stop by Hens DB anthony, the Hens have crossed the midfield marker. After an incomplete pass to WR Schenauer, the Hens were forced to punt. Richmond will take over at their own 20.

Hens score twice in first quarter, lead Richmond 5-0
(11:44 second quarter) A bad snap on a Richmond punt resulted in a safety, giving Delaware a two nothing lead. Shortly after, Delaware drove down the field against the Spiders Defense. The drive ended with a John Striefsky 33 yard field goal.
Richmond now has the ball on Delaware's 46 yard line. We apologize for the delay, as we are experiencing some technical difficulties.

Graves interception leads to Striefsky field goal
(5:33 second quarter) Charles Graves set the Delaware school record with his eighth career interception, returning a pick off of Richmond QB Eric Ward and returning it to Richmond territory. Devlin and company then took over, setting up Striefsky for a 28 yard field goal. The Hens now lead Richmond 8-0.

Richmond offense kicks into gear, Ward hits Grey for touchdown
(23 seconds, second quarter) Starting on their own 36 yard line, Richmond drove down the field in 12 plays, 63 yards and 5 minutes and two seconds. Spiders QB Eric Ward ended the drive with a six yard TD Pass to WR Tre Grey. After the extra point, Delaware leads Richmond 8-7.

Second half set to kick off
(Halftime) Delaware dominated Richmond for most of the first halfHe on the scoreboard, but Richmond has hung in there statistically. The Spiders are tied with Delaware on first downs, lead them in net passing yards 137-86, and lead them in total offense 150 yards to 139. The safety in the first quarter and the interception by Graves have been the difference in the game. We'll see in the second half if Delaware can continue to make the big plays. Because the Hens deferred in the first half, Richmond will be kicking off to the Hens.

Hens recover punt, score touchdown
(11:49 3rd quarter) After two first downs, the Hens were forced to punt. The ball was bobbled by Richmond's returner at the 19 yard line, and dropped. Paul Worrilow recovered the ball. Three plays later, Hens QB Pat Devlin ran the ball in himself. The Hens now lead the Spiders 15-7.

Richmond drives downfield, gets stuffed by Hens on one foot line
(2:20 3rd quarter) After driving down the field, in a series highlighted by a 20 yard reception from Ward to Donte' Boston and two almost turnovers (a questionable incomplete call which could have been a fumble, and a Richmond fumble which they recovered), Richmond found themselves on the 1 foot line at 4th and one after Anthony Bratton tackled Justin Forte on the edge of the goal-line. Delaware then stuffed the Spiders, taking over on downs. Delaware still leads 15-7.

Richmond successful on second attempt, unable to add two
(12:27 4th quarter) Delaware was forced to punt after taking over on their own one foot line. The punt left Richmond with good field position on the Hens' 20 yard line. After one first down, the Spiders found themselves at third and goal. Spiders' QB Ward took matters into his own hands, running it in. On the subsequent two point conversion attempt, Ward was unable to complete a pass in the back of the endzone. The safety in the first quarter is proving vital for the Hens, as they lead the Spiders 15-13.

Richmond and Delaware exchange interceptions.
(8:18 4th quarter) After two first down completions from Ward to Tre' Grey and an 18 yard reception to Justin Forte', Richmond QB Ward was intercepted by Charles Graves. It marks Graves' 8th interception of his career, and his second on the day. On third down, Devlin was intercepted by Darryl Hamilton. The Spiders DB returned the ball to the 8 yard line.

Richmond's Howard hits field goal, gives Spiders the lead
(5:58 4th quarter) Andrew Howard hit a 23 yard field goal after Darryl Hamilton's interception to give the Spiders a 16-15 lead. The lead is Richmond's first of the game. Hamilton's interception could have marked a turning point for the Spiders, as it is the first big play to go their way. The Hens will now take over for a vital drive in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

Devlin off the mark twice
(5:23 4th quarter) Delaware was forced to punt after Pat Devlin was off the mark on two pass attempts. It will be interesting to see how Devlin can handle himself in big game situations. Richmond begins their drive at their own 8 yard line.

Striefsky FG blocked as time runs out
(30 seconds 4th quarter) John Striefsky's FG attempt was blocked by the Spiders in dramatic fashion. The Spiders ran out the clock and won the game 16-15 final.

Delaware State-Delaware football trophy named "First State Cup"

2009-09-08T15:34:00.002-04:00

After over 4,000 names suggested and months of debate, the trophy for the first regular season football match-up between Delaware and Delaware State has been named the "First State Cup."
The News Journal Media group asked fans to suggest names, from which they chose four for students to vote from. Over 6,000 students chose between "Battle for the Saddle," "Battle for the Hatchet," "the First State Cup," and "The Diamond State Cup."
The rivalry, which has been dubbed the "Route 1 Rivalry," will kick off September 19 at Delaware Stadium. It will be aired live by STN on five television stations and over seven television markets.
The Hens are expected to win favorably, largely due to their 44-7 route over the Hornets in the 2007 Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, however anticipation for the event has been growing for decades and a large turnout both at Delaware Stadium and in television ratings is expected.

Baker out for season, Marcorrelle cited as possible replacement

2009-09-08T15:14:00.007-04:00

Despite initial speculation that Hens TE Josh Baker would be returning for this week's game against Richmond, MRI results have showed that Baker has suffered a torn ACL and will miss the entire 2009 season.
"He made us different," Hens head coach KC Keeler said in a press conference Tuesday. "That's why it's a blow and we'll miss him."
Keeler cited baker's diversity that made him an outstanding player. Baker was expected to play tight end, wideout, and act as the "personal protector" on the punt squad- a duty which resulted in his injury Friday.
"He ran our punt team," Keeler said. "You lose him in so many different ways."
Currently, Keeler and his coaching staff are looking at a number of different options to replace Baker in his tight end spot, including senior LB Matt Macorelle.
"I really think that if Matt devoted himself to being a tight end, he'd be an All-American," Keeler said.
Although Baker was in his fifth year due to sitting out the 2008 season for disciplinary purposes, Keeler said they are investigating the possibility of Baker having another year of eligibility

Field hockey bounces back

2009-09-06T17:08:00.003-04:00

After losing to Michigan State and Louisville at the Duke tournament, the Delaware field hockey team won its first home game 10-2 against Brown University today. This is an exciting win for the Hens, who began last season with a five-game losing streak. Standout Casey Howard ferociously made her return to the Hens lineup after sitting out last season due to injury. At the tournament she posted the Hens first goal against MSU within the first six minutes of play. Today she set a school record, scoring five goals against Brown. Hopefully Howard makes these performances a habit as the Hens approach conference play at the end of the month.

Tennis

2009-09-05T16:46:00.002-04:00

The women's tennis team began its season yesterday, hosting The College of New Jersey. They're coming off a respectable (13-4, 4-1 Colonial Athletic Association) record from last year and looking to make it past the CAA quarterfinals this year. As head coach Laura Travis put it, "We're a DI program so we want to win." The Hens lost one of their top players, Amanda Campbell who posted 20-5 singles and 25-2 doubles records, from last year's team, which could set them back. But they also gained freshman Amanda Halstrom. They're off to a good start, winning seven of nine non-scoring matches on Saturday. They play TCNJ again today in non-scoring matches.

While the women's team takes on TCNJ, the men are celebrating the 100th anniversay of men's tennis at the university. The men's tennis roster is not yet set, but they have some time before their first match at the Swarthmore Tournament.

University of Delaware vs. West Chester Live Blog

2009-09-04T18:53:00.088-04:00

Hey everyone, welcome to the first live blog of the football season. We're going to report the biggest and most important plays to you as they happen, so you no longer have to be at the game to see it fold out in front of you. For background information on West Chester and Delaware's rivalry, check out my story at:

http://www.udreview.com/sports/game-time-1.349698

Tonight's attendance, 22,006 for the 40th straight sellout.
The game's about to start, make sure to keep refreshing to get the latest information!
It was just announced in the press box that Mark Duncan was scratched, as well as Will Nagle. Duncan is serving a one-game suspension for breaking team policies in the spring.

Kickoff for the Hens, the Rams will start with the ball on the 27 yard line.

Rams:
First down - great pressure on Joe Wright, QB for the Rams.
Third down - Wright's pocket collapses around him, sacked at the 27.
Fourth down - awful punt to the West Chester 46. Pat Devlin and the Hens start off in great position.

Hens:
First down - Devlin's first pass is complete for 12 yards to the 34 yard line. First down.
First down and second down - David Hayes gets two yards on two runs combined.
Third down - Devlin passes to Josh Baker, will be measured.
Did not get the first. Fourth and one, going for it.
David Hayes picked up the first, but there was off sides on West Chester. Penalty declined, Hayes' six yard rush stands.
First down - Devlin left the pocket, looked good rolling out. Three yard pass to the 17.
Second down - Hayes runs to the line, time out for measurement again.
Gain of six, but it's inches short.
Third down - Hayes got the first again. No huddle situation.
First down - Hayes on the carry again, no gain.
Second down - Devlin seven yard TD pass to Josh Baker.
9:08 left in the game, 7-0 UDEL.

Devlin went 4-4 for 29 yards in that drive.

Hens kick off, return is back to the West Chester 40. Great blocking for WC.

First down - QB Wright escapes one sack, runs into another one by John Higginson, who led UDEL in sacks last year with five.
Second down - Direct snap to their running back, game of two. Third and 10.
Third down - Wright aired the ball out, no one near the ball. Fourth down.

Partial block on the punt, ball is on the Delaware 29.

UDEL:
First down - big catch by Baker, fumble at the Delaware 48, West Chester recovers.

Rams:
First and second - two runs, eight yards total.
Third down - Charles Graves breaks up a first down catch. Punter on for WC.

Great punt, ball goes out of bounds at the Delaware six yard line. Here comes Devlin's first real test.

Hens:
First and second - David Hayes runs twice, gains four then loses one. Third and seven.
Third down - Devlin's pass pops in and out of #37 Corey Rhood's hands. It was his first incomplete after five completions, and he got really lucky.

Ball down at the 29, Delaware player down at the 40.

Player still being attended to, it looked like he got his knee caught in the turf.

The player is #2 TE Senior Josh Baker, who has the lone touchdown so far. It looked like a knee injury, they're coming out with braces and a splint for his leg.

Cart is on the field, he's being loaded in.

OK, here we go. First and ten, ball at Delaware's 29.

Rams:
First and second - two yard completion, Wright overthrows Brian Paulson in the end zone. Third and eight.
Third down - Incomplete pass. They lined up on fourth and eight going for it, but called a time out. Could have been an off side try.

Update: Josh Baker will not return tonight.

Fourth down - going for it again, Wright drops back and for the third time overthrows his receiver. Delaware takes over at their 27.

First and second - five yards total picked up. Third and five.
Third down - Devlin rolls to the right, hits his receiver Mark Mackey but it's not a first. Punt team on the field.

Ball fielded at the Rams 25.

Rams:
First down - Scott Bradish, new QB in the game, keeps the ball for four yards.
Second down - Anthony Walters intercepts the ball and runs it back to the West Chester four yard line four 33 yards. It's his ninth career pick.

Hens:
First down - Wildcat formation, keeper up the middle got nothing.
Second down - Hayes on the Wildcat keeper, ball at the two yard line.

END OF FIRST: UDEL 7, WCU 0

Third down - David Hayes is down at the one yard line, fourth and goal at the one.
Fourth down - Devlin on a keeper, he got the one yard running touchdown.

Devlin has now passed and rushed for a touchdown. It's 14-0 UDEL.

Return back to the 35 but there's a hold against West Chester. Ball on West Chester's 25 yard line.

Rams:
First down - Andrew Harrison tackles the running back for a loss of four. Ball at the 21.
Second down - Tyrone Grant punished WR Dan DePalma, third and eight coming up.
Third down - Incomplete pass.
Fourth down - Punt to the Delaware 25.

Hens:
Second down - Devlin airs the ball out, looked long but there's defensive pass interference anyway. Fifteen yards, automatic first down. Ball on the Delaware 39.
First down - Short slant pass goes for 56 yards to the four yard line.
First down - Another Wildcat keeper by Hayes. No gain.
Second down - Gain of four on another Wildcat keeper.
Third down - David Hayes loses two yards, fourth and goal at the three. Going for it.
Fourth down - Pass overthrown, intended for Mark Mackey in the end zone.

Rams:
First down - Loss of two on a run play, back to the one yard line.
Second down - Wright QB keeper, pushes ahead for one yard. Brandon Gilbeaux is injured on the play.
Third down - Hopkins carried the ball three yards. Fourth down, ball at the five.

Nice nine yard punt return by Rob Jones to the West Chester 45.

Hens:
First down - Devlin goes through his progressions, rolls left and gets seven yards on the keeper.
Second down - No huddle, Phillip Thaxton on the carry for a first down.
First down - Devlin rolls to the right and passes to Colin Naugle, the replacement for Baker.
Second down - Flag on the play. illegal formation, five yard penalty brings the ball back to the 31 yard line.
Second down and seven - Devlin hangs a beautiful pass up and throws to a wide open Tommy Crosby for a 31 yard touchdown reception.

5:41 left in the second quarter, UDEL 21-WC 0

Return to the West Chester 32 yard line.

Rams:
First down - one yard run.
Second down - Eight yard pass, third and one.
Third down - Tyrone Grant has a great tackle but can't hold the RB behind the chains. First West Chester first down of the game.
First down - Dan DePalma drops the ball.
Second down - Webb runs for no gain. Third and ten.
Third down - Catch at the Delaware 48, fourth and one. Time out West Chester.
ANOTHER time out by West Chester. They finally decide to punt.
Fourth down - Punt takes a West Chester bounce, downed at the three yard line.

Hens:
First down - Low snap, Hayes takes the ball to the five. Corey Nicholson is injured on the field. Nicholson walks off the field under his own strength.
Second down - David Hayes breaks a huge run for 17 yards, ball is at the Delaware 25. First down.
First and second - three yard rush, Devlin rushes six and gets hit late, no penalty. Third down - QB keeper to end the half.

END OF FIRST HALF - UDEL 21, WC 0

Third quarter is about to start.

Tyrone Grant brings the ball back to the Delaware 37 yard line.

Hens:
First down - Mark Mackey with a great catch over the head of the corner back, breaks that tackle and drags another defender to the West Chester 11 for a 52 yard gain.
First down - David Hayes carries the ball for two yards.
Second down - David Hayes brings the ball down to the six. Third and five.
Third down - David Hayes scores his first career touchdown with a six yard rush.

With 13:18 left to go in the third quarter, the Blue Hens lead the Golden Rams 28-0.

Hens kick off, DePalma runs back a great return for 39 yards to the Delaware 48 yard line.

Rams:
First down - Bradish on a QB keeper runs for eight.
Second down - Penalty on the play. Holding penalty, moves the ball back 10 yards to the 50.
Second down and 12 - Pass for five yards, third and seven.
Third down - High pass incomplete. Fourth down and seven.
Fourth down - Rob Jones back to return, Hens get a touch back. First down at the 20.

Hens:
First down - Phillip Thaxton carries the ball for three yards.
Second down - Accurate pass to the ground for 16 yards by Mark Schenauer. First down.
First down - Another completion for 12 yards to Mackey.
First down - Devlin runs a QB keeper for five yards up to the 44. Delaware time out.
Third down - False start, third and eight.
Third down - Flag on the play. Seems to be defensive pass interference. First down at the 37.
First down - Phillip Thaxton on the carry for eight yards. Injury on the field for West Chester.
Second down - Phillip Thaxton rumbles into the end zone barely touched. It's a 29 yard touchdown.

With 8:12 left in the third quarter, the Hens have gotten out to a dominating 35-0 lead.

Holding on West Chester after the kick off. First and ten at the West Chester 19 yard line.

Rams:
After a few short runs, Rams complete a 12 yard pass for a first down.
First down - QB Bradish keeps the ball, it's a seven yard gain.
Second down - Incomplete pass.
Third down - Face mask on Charles Graves. Fifteen yard penalty, first down.
First down - Webb runs for no gain.
Second down - Wright's pass is complete for 11 yards at the Delaware 31 yard line.
First down - Webb on the carry, takes another 11 yard carry down to the Delaware 20. First down - Wright keeps it for four yards.
Second down - Wright passes incomplete.
Third down - Wright's pass is no where close to complete. Fourth and six, they'll have to bring the kicker on the field for their first points of the game.
Fourth down - 32 yard field goal blocked by Andrew Harrison.

Hens:
Sean Hakes and Jerry Butler are in the game now for Pat Devlin and David Hayes.

First down - Six yard pass.
Second down - Hakes side-arms a pass to Colin Naugle for a gain of seven. First down.
First down - Run up the gut for five yards.
Second down - Flag on the play. Holding on Delaware. Ten yard penalty, second and fifteen at the 28 yard line.
Second down - Dropped pass by Tommy Crosby.
Third down - Hakes pass should have been intercepted by three different guys but falls harmlessly to the turf.

Punt down to the West Chester 33.

Rams:
First and second - two carries for nine yards, third and one.
Third down - Hopkins on the carry again, time out for a measurement.

END OF THE THIRD QUARTER: UDEL 35, WCU 0

Converts first down.

First down - Bradish carries for three yards.
Second down - Confusing hand off, Steve Miller rushes the ball for another three yards. Third and four.
Third down - QB Jared Jorgensen throws incomplete.
Fourth and three - Pass never had a chance, broken up by Sean Scanlon.

Hens:
First down - Butler carries for three yards. Ball at the West Chester 49.
Second down - Hakes' pass for Rob Jones falls incomplete.
Third and seven - Rob Jones does his best to stay in bounds but it's fourth and one.
Delaware time out.
Fourth down - Leon Jackson on the carry to pick up the first down.
First down - Leon Jackson again on the carry for three yards.
Second down - Leon Jackson takes a hard hit and gains one yard. Third and six.
Third down - Hakes is sacked for eight yards. Fourth down.
Fourth down - Forty-one yard punt for a touch back.

Rams:
First down - Completion for nine yards.
Second down - First down on a run up the middle.
First down - Completion to Webb for six yards.
Second down - Bradish keeps it for a first down. Delaware injury on the field.
First down - Overthrown pass.
Second down - Hand off to former Blue Hen Corey Broyles.
Third down - First down completion but not after a crushing blow by Marcus Burley.
First down - QB keeper by Bradish for one yard.
Second down - Former Blue Hen Bob Sabol catches the ball for eight yards. Third and one.
Third down - Great tackle again by Marcus Burley to keep the Rams behind the chains. Fourth and one - McDermott takes the ball up the middle for a first.
First down - Incomplete pass.
Second down - Another incomplete pass.
Third down - Fumble recovery by Eddie Lugo, brings the ball back to the West Chester 44.

And that's the game. Delaware has it's first shut out at Delaware Stadium since 2000 against Northwestern. Thanks for checking out the Review's football live blog.

Hens football coach arrested on drunk driving charges

2009-06-19T19:18:00.007-04:00

Brian Ginn, an assistant football coach was suspended for two weeks today after he was charged with drunk driving in Newark late last night. The Hens are lucky this occurred in the off-season and the summer so that it flies somewhat under the radar. Had Ginn been arrested in the fall, it could have been an enormous distraction for the team. The timing, however, will likely prevent Ginn's incident from causing harm to the Hens squad as they prepare for the upcoming 2009 season. Camp starts in August. Gear up!
For more on Ginn's arrest, click here.

Delle Donne expected to announce plans to play basketball today

2009-06-02T10:31:00.002-04:00

From the Wilmington News Journal:
Elena DelleDonne, the 2008 national high school girls basketball player of the year, is returning to basketball and will do so in a University of Delaware uniform, The News Journal has learned.
Delaware is expected to announce today that the 6-foot-5 DelleDonne, 19, is joining its women's basketball team.
She'll have freshman eligibility beginning with the 2009-10 season, which opens with seven road games, the first at St. Francis (Pa.), before a home contest against Navy.
Delaware coach Tina Martin would not comment on Monday.

Tina Martin hinted recently about her connection with Delle Donne, saying that she had been in contact with the former high school phenom and Delle Donne was present at the last few basketball games of the season after announcing an end to her short volleyball career. The Lady Hens certainly have something to look forward to this season and a run at the CAA title seems likely, if not certain.
The news will put Delaware on the map on the national scene, and the forward will be thrown back into the national spotlight.
DelleDonne chose to give up her scholarship to Connecticut and come to Delaware primarily because of her older sister, Lizzy, who has cerebral palsy
"Being close to home was a big factor, because my sister and all, so I'm near her, which is nice," she said in an October interview.
Her decision to play volleyball was based on a desire to revert from the spotlight. Clearly DelleDonne's hopes of staying out of the public eye are going to be lost.

Look for more coverage about Elena DelleDonne's return to basketball here and at UDReview.com.

The Year in Review

2009-05-18T21:09:00.012-04:00

From best to disappointing and in between, the sports staff compiled our list for the year that was. Coaches, varsity teams, club teams and athletes have all been analyzed and sorted. We would like to hear your input. Leave a comment or send an e-mail. We're always interested in what you have to say.

-Your Sports Staff
udreviewsports@gmail.com

photos courtesy of Sports Information

Best Club Teams

Male:

1. Men’s Crew:

The men’s crew team struck a repeat performance of last years effort at the Dad Vail Regatta, held May 8th and 9^th in Philadelphia, after tying Buffalo for the overall points trophy with 30 points, and tying Michigan for the men’s points trophy with 28 points. The varsity lightweights won their event, defeating 12 teams on the way to their gold medal. The heavyweight and lightweight novice crews both received silver medals in their respective events. The novice heavyweights were able to win the time trials Friday ahead of 30 teams, and their semifinal Saturday before falling to Michigan in the final, while the varsity lightweights were defeated by Milwaukee School of Engineering. In their final on Saturday, the varsity Heavyweights Eight, did not advance out of their semifinal. Earlier this year, the team also competed at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The varsity lightweights once again struck gold, along with both the novice Lightweight Eight and second novice Lightweight Eight crews. The novice heavyweights also received silver while the varsity Lightweight Four and JV Lightweight Eights placed third. As for other large regattas, the Hens also competed in the Knecht Cup and Murphy Cup. At the Murphy Cup, the first spring race of the season, the Novice Eight placed second, along with the Lightweight Varsity Eight. In addition, the team had a number of smaller races against prominent programs in the Eastern Sprints League, including Rutgers, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Navy and Holy Cross. In the race against Holy Cross, Delaware was able to row to victory in the second Varsity Eight, novice Eight and second novice Eight events. Despite the team’s disappointment, their performance as a club team competing against many varsity squads certainly makes them one of the best teams in the school, perhaps overall.

2. Men’s Hockey:

The men’s hockey team did not finish at the national championships quite the way they wanted to this year, falling in the second round of the American College Hockey Association national championships to West Chester, 6-2. However, a 26-6 overall regular-season record earned them the honor of second-best club team this year. The Hens were able to split with some of their arch rivals, including Penn State, Rhode Island, and Navy. A number of rookie players, including Andre Menard and Kevin Miller, made a huge impact for their first years, scoring 22 and 20 goals, respectively. Senior Mark Gardner also had an impressive performance in the 2008-2009 season, chipping in a season-high 25 goals. As for assists, Miller had a season-high 37, while Gardner had 33, Menard had 22 and senior Joe Baumgartner had 24. The 2008-2009 season was the second straight season Delaware finished with 26 wins, while Gardner was also named ESCHL player of the year for the second straight season as well. In the playoffs, the Blue Hens fell in the ESCHL championship game to Penn State before losing in the second round of the ACHA national championship to West Chester.

3. Men’s Rugby

Female

1. Rugby:
Although women’s rugby may not be the best known women’s club team at the University, they have had the best performance of any women’s club team this season. The Hens finished 6-1 overall in 2009. Delaware, ranked 7th going into the national tournament, returned from the opening rounds in Florida with a berth in the Final Four of USA Rugby National Guard College Championships, held at Stanford University in California. The lady Blue Hens defeated University of Central Florida, 24-15 and Slippery Rock University 24-21, in order to advance. This was the first time in the team’s 16-year history they had advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Delaware was defeated by Stonehill University in the semifinals 27-12. Shippensburg University won the national championship, but the Delaware women certainly had a great ride throughout. The team tried to improve their conditioning this year, in order to put them at an advantage when facing teams they had never played before as well as playing sometimes two 80-minute matches per day. Their efforts certainly paid off, as the lady Hens defeated every one of their regular-season opponents. Delaware was able to hold off West Chester University, 20-13; Towson University, 22-0; LaSalle University, 15-7; and the University of Maryland, 14-7. Delaware’s only regular-season loss came in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union, where the Hens fell 0-31 to defending national champion Shippensburg. In addition, senior Kimberley Lane, who plays in the wing position, was named to the Division 2 All American First Team squad, selected by the USA Rugby Association. Only being a club team, the Hens practice on Frazier Field, and the infirmary field next to student health, but the hard work and dedication of the 39 women of the team led them to their best season so far.

2. Women’s Hockey
Just like their male counterparts, the women’s ice hockey team at Delaware did not exactly have the season they envisioned, but finished off the season with an impressive 15-3 record. Their only regular-season losses came to the University of Pennsylvania, whom they fell to twice, 10-1 and 7-2. In the Delaware Collegiate Valley Hockey Conference, the lady Hens, ranked second going into the tournament, finished third after falling to the third-ranked University of Virginia, 4-3. Delaware then was given a spot in the consolation final, where they defeated West Chester University, whom they had already overcome four times previously in the 2008-2009 season, 4-2. Rookie goalie Brie Scolaro only allowed 29 goals during the regular season, with a save rate of 91.9 percent, while junior center Brittany Sheldon led the team in goals with 12. Junior center Katie Keeports also chipped in 11, while freshman Sara Naguib added 12 assists. Scolaro, Keeports, and Bethany Alik also all earned spots to play in the DCVHC All-Star game, while Scolaro was also nominated for the league’s Most Valuable Award for the 2008-2009 season. The women’s team’s performance this year shows a bright season for them next year.
3. Synchronized Skating

Most Disappointing

1. Men’s Lacrosse

Coming off a 9-7 performance in 2008, including a third-place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association standings, the University, as well as the nation, expected a bright season from the men’s lacrosse team. Delaware lacrosse was picked to finish second in the CAA, along with Curtis Dickson as preseason player of the year. Delaware also received several votes in the national polls. In top-25 preseason rankings, the Inside Lacrosse/Faceoff Yearbook listed them as 20th, while the Hens were picked as 23rd in the LAXNews.com preseason poll. After their first game against St. Joe’s, Delaware also showed great promise after winning the game, 13-2. They were also picked to play in the Big City Classic at Giants Stadium against Hofstra, along with perennial powers North Carolina, Virginia, Syracuse and Princeton. Unfortunately for the Hens, they could not live up to the expectations after finishing 5-10 overall, and 2-4 in the CAA. The Hens suffered a number of close losses to Fairfield, Towson, Drexel and Hofstra, but fell hard to then-nationally ranked teams Georgetown, UMBC and Brown. Delaware also missed a chance to even secure a playoff berth in the CAA tournament after dropping their last (and perhaps the most crucial) game, to Drexel, 8-10. Before 2009, the Hens advanced to the semi-finals of the tournament every year since 2003. At the end of the season, six members of the Blue Hen lacrosse team were named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association first, second and all-rookie teams, but considering what many predicted the outcome of the season to be, the lacrosse team certainly did not live up to their potential this year. The Hens will return a number of key players , including Curtis Dickson, but expectations may not be what they were this year.

Best Moment

Male

Pat Devlin’s Transfer

After coming off a historic football season in 2007 that saw them make the National Championship, the Hens had high expectations for the 2008 season. These expectations were met with nothing but disappointment as the Hens struggled to an under .500 record finishing 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the CAA. The season was especially frustrating due to an enormous amount of injuries and inconsistent play at the quarterback position, which left fans wanting more, as the team could not find a suitable replacement after the amazing year of Joe Flacco in 2007.

With no experienced QBs returning for the 2009 season it looked like it would be another season of disappointment. That all changed when former Penn State University QB Pat Devlin announced his intention to transfer in the winter. Devlin, an outstanding recruit in high school at Downingtown East High School in Pennsylvania, still holds the state high school record for passing yards with 8162. More importantly Devlin has had playing experience in college during his two years at Penn State, accumulating the game winning touchdown run in Penn State’s victory over Ohio State earlier in the season.

Devlin immediately impressed when he arrived in Delaware for preseason workouts and practices. In the Blue-White Spring Game Devlin was outstanding completing 24 out of 31 passes and threw for 304 yards and a touchdown.

Despite only being on campus for a limited amount of time, Devlin has already given the fans a lot of hope for another successful season in 2009. He looks to follow the Joe Flacco-transfer model and have a great career at Delaware and contend for championships.

Female

Elena Delle Donne

In late August of 2008 Elena DelleDonne shocked the women’s basketball world by deciding to forfeit her full scholarship to the University of Connecticut for basketball and attend Delaware instead. DelleDonne chose to give up basketball due to burnout and walked on to Hens’ volleyball team as a freshman despite only having one year of playing experience at her high school.

Her story received national attention as she was featured on ESPN’s Outside the Lines in late December. After years of doing something she did not have a passion for DelleDonne had a great debut season on the volleyball team and was an integral part of their success in winning the 2008 CAA Conference Championship and making the NCAA Championship. Despite her limited experience in the sport DelleDonne was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team and named Rookie of the Week three times which is a testament of just how great an athlete she is.

More importantly than her accolades and success on the court however, is that DelleDonne is finally doing something she enjoys.

"Now that I play volleyball, I know how it feels to have a passion for your sport," she said in her interview to ESPN. "Before, I just thought, 'Maybe everyone's faking it because this is horrible.’”

No matter what she does in the rest of her career at Delaware DelleDonne still has a great story as she rekindled her love for competition and has a bright future at Delaware.

Best Athletes

Male

1. Curtis Dickson

When Hens attackman Curtis Dickson scored his 100th goal of the season in the season finale versus Drexel, he became one of the few bright spots in the mens' lacrosse '09 campaign. The goal made the British Columbia native the 13th player in Delaware history to reach 100 goals, and he still has another year of eligibility left.

Dickson ranked second in the CAA in goals per game, scoring 33 over the 15-game season. To add to that, he had 12 assists to increase his point total to 45 points in the season—the best in the conference.

In fact, Dickson scored at least one point in all 15 games, a streak which he has continued over the span of three seasons and 40 games. It is the longest point streak in NCAA Division I lacrosse.

His statistics were good enough to earn him First Team All-CAA honors for the 2009 season. It is the third straight season Dickson has been recognized by the CAA, including earning a spot on the All-rookie team in 2007, when Delaware made its way to the Final Four.

2. Hans Gillan

Junior swimmer Hans Gillan led the Hens in an outstanding '08-'09 swim campaign. Like Dickson, the swimmer is making news not just at Delaware, but throughout the CAA and the entire NCAA.

Gillan set new conference records in the 100 butterfly, posting a score of 47.35, and the 400 freestyle relay where he contributed to a 2:57.73 score. The scores were good enough to earn him 1st team all-CAA honors.

Gillan also earned 2nd team all-CAA honors for the 100 freestyle and the 200 freestyle relay. He earned 3rd team honors for his contribution in the medley relay.

3. Austin Longacre

Female

1. Jess Cerveney

The women's lacrosse team had a breakthrough year in their '09 campaign, marching their way to a 10-8 record (5-2 CAA) and a trip to the CAA finals. Although they lost to Towson in the championship game, the trip would have been unlikely without the contribution of goalkeeper Jessica Cerveny.

The senior put up impressive numbers, starting for the Hens for four straight years. No year was more successful than this year, however, as she was atop the conference standings in almost every statistical category for goalkeepers.

Cerveny led the conference in goals against average allowing 8.54 goals per game. She ranked second in save percentage at .494 and fifth in ground balls per game at 2.7. Put together, she racked up 133 saves and allowed 136 goals while playing the entire 60 minutes in all but one game. On April 10th, she allowed only three goals against Drexel—a CAA season low.

Her numbers were good enough to earn her First-Team All-CAA honors for the second straight year and propel her status to among the top womens' lacrosse goalkeepers in Delaware history.

2. Stephanie Barry

Hens' junior libero Stephanie Barry continued in her efforts to carry the women's volleyball team to a CAA championship in their 2008 campaign. Barry posted impressive numbers while earning First-Team AVCA All-Region Honors as well as All-American honors for the second straight season and earning her team a bid to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.

Barry also made her mark in Delaware history. Her league-high 682 digs was the third-highest single-season total in the history of the volleyball program. She also posted a 5.33 digs-per-set average. She was also the first player in Delaware history to earn All-American honors when she did so in 2007. Her repeat in 2008 just added to her accomplishments.

3. Katie Dennehey

Best varsity teams

Male

1. Swim

The swimming team had an impressive year, finishing third place overall in the CAA Championship after an 11-2 season. In addition to their third-place finish, eight members of their team earned CAA All-Conference honors, six of them serving on multiple teams.

Junior Hans Gillan, who transferred from the University of Georgia last year, was a huge addition to this year's squad. Gillan earned five CAA All-Conference honors, including two first team honors, two second team and a third. Newark native Grady Carter also contributed heavily in his sophomore season and earned five CAA All-Conference honors as well. Carter earned first-team honors in three categories: the 200- and 400-freestyle relays and the 400-medely. He also earned second-team 50-freestyle and third-team 100-freestyle.

Senior John Ohlhaver capped his career by earning four all-CAA titles. He earned first team in 400- and 800-freestyle relays, while taking second-team in the 200-freestyle relay and third-team for the individual 200-freestyle.

Their strongest outing this season was at the Loyola Invitational, where the Hens beat Loyola, Marist and Villanova by a combined 168 points.

2. Baseball

The Hens summoned all their strength and swept the Virginia Commonwealth Rams this weekend, boosting their record to 27-18 and 11-10 in the CAA, which was good enough to earn them the sixth seed in this year’s CAA playoffs. The reward for their strong finish: George Mason, regular-season champions with a dominating record of 40-10 overall and 19-5 in the CAA.

The contribution came from everywhere this year, with their everyday players batting in at least 27 runs apiece. Carlos Alonso made it on base every game this year and held team-highs in batting average (.387), hits (74) and runs (56). Ryan Cuneo accounted for the most run production this year with 16 home runs and 54 RBIs.

3. Basketball

Female

1. Volleyball

Despite a seemingly average 19-16 overall record (9-5 CAA), the volleyball squad surprised everyone and repeated as CAA champs before losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Oregon. Delaware was the first repeat CAA champion since George Mason repeated in 2002 and 2003.

Elena DelleDonne only played one year of volleyball in high school and led Ursuline Academy to a championship during that season in 2007. Everyone assumed volleyball was over for her, but after a controversial end to her basketball career at the University of Connecticut, she decided to return to volleyball after transferring to Delaware. She produced well for a rookie and earned CAA All-Rookie honors. She also led the team in blocks, averaging just under one block a game. She came in second with a .223 hitting percentage.

DelleDonne wasn't the biggest performer, however. Junior Stephanie Barry earned first-team All-East Region for the second year in a row, voted in by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She was only the fifth out of 14 to receive the honor for the second straight year, and she deserved it. She also surpassed 25 digs on eight different occasions.

2. Lacrosse

After a 10-8 season (5-2 CAA), the women's lacrosse team finished second in the CAA tournament, losing a hard-fought game to Towson 8-7.

The leading members of the squad were honored accordingly by the CAA with five Blue Hens earning All-CAA honors. Goalie Jessica Cerveny and Erin Zimmerman, both seniors, earned first-team honors. Senior captain Deb Sloan and junior Emily Schaknowski earned second-team, while freshman Stephanie Allen earned All-Rookie honors.

Cerveny played outstandingly for the Hens all year and earned first-team honors for the second straight year. She played every game and played the full length in all but one game. She allowed an opponent-low three goals against Drexel and saved 14 on three different occasions.

3. Swimming

Athlete Most Likely to Succeed in the Pros

Ronald Talley

Senior Ronald Talley, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent.

Talley will fit into defensive coordinator Dom Caper’s 3-4 defense as a run-stopper. While he is not likely to start, he can provide solid depth for the Packers’ rebuilding defense.

Talley’s size, along with his high character and good work ethic, will undoubtedly carry him far. After a few years in the NFL, he should be able to learn and understand an NFL defense.

Despite playing in a 4-3 defense at Delaware, he should be able to adjust in Green Bay and we can expect he will become a key role-player.

Talley garnered high-pressure, big-game experience after competing in the NCAA championship game in 2007.

This past season, Talley had 30 tackles and eight tackles for loss, as well as 3.5 sacks.

While we might not see this production in the 3-4 defense, Talley still has the talent and work ethic to become a solid role-player for any NFL team.

Best Coaches

Male

John Hayman

For Delaware men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach John Hayman, the Colonial Athletic Association meet 25th-28th was a record-setting day. The men’s team broke four school records and claimed three CAA championship titles. The women's team posted eight top-five CAA finishes.

The men's team finished third in the CAA championships this year and went 11-2 in dual meets. The women's team finished sixth at the conference championships and earned a 9-3 record in dual meets.

This year marked Delaware swimming and diving head coach John Hayman seventh CAA Co-Coach of the Year award. Hayman, who is one of the longest-tenured CAA head coaches, continued his past success through his 20th season with the Hens this year.

Nine athletes from both teams received CAA All-Conference honors.

Hayman coached the Delaware men's team to four conference titles, and the women’s team to two since coming to the university in 1989.

With dual meet records of 156-76 on the women's side and 109-114 on the men's side, Hayman’s combined dual-meet record at Delaware is 265-190 (.582).

Hayman coached the men’s team to third-place conference finishes in 2007 and 2008 after coming off six years of bottom-half finishes since joining the CAA.

Female

Bonnie Kenny

Reigning champ
p Bonnie Kenny first earned her Delaware’s Best Female Coach title after leading the No. 3-seeded Hens to a first-ever Colonial Athletic Association volleyball championship in 2007.

In 2008, her seventh year with the Hens, Kenny felt the sweet satisfaction of starting a winning streak in the CAA championships, and for the first time in Delaware volleyball program history, breeding familiarity with NCAA tournament action.

Kenny had seven returning players and six freshmen on her 2008 squad.

The Hens took on several NCAA 2007 tournament qualifiers, including Michigan State, New Hampshire and Syracuse from the 2007 Sweet Sixteen, this year and proved themselves worthy opponents.

After a shaky start to the season, the Hens picked up momentum and, racking up wins, achieved the strongest finish of any Hens team for 2008.

Kenny has a record of 465-348 overall and 125-96 at Delaware.

When she became volleyball head coach, she turned the team around from a streak of four losing seasons.

Kenny also received her second CAA Co-Coach of the Year honors.

Under Kenny, the Hens finishing record was 19-16 overall

Best Transfer

1. Hans Gillian

Hans Gillian arrived at Delaware in the fall of 2008 after transferring from the University of Georgia and then proceeded to break numerous school and CAA records. Gillian’s biggest accomplishment came at the CAA Championship meet when he won the 100 meter individual butterfly smashing the old conference record of 48.44 with a time of 47.35. This time qualified him for the NCAA National Championship meet. Also at the CAA Championship Gillian anchored the first place and CAA record-setting 400 freestyle relay that finished with a time of 2:57.73, which qualified the relay for the NCAA National Championship meet as well. These two victories led the Hens to a third place finish with 491 points.

Gillian was named the CAA swimmer of the week three times during the course of the season and achieved many postseason accolades. Gillian was named to five of the CAA All-Conference squads at the season’s end. He earned first team honors for his record-setting swims in the 100-butterfly and 400-freestyle relay. He also earned second-team honors in the 100-freestyle and 200-freestyle relay as well as capturing third-team nods for his efforts on the 400-medley relay squad.

2. Elena Delle Donne

Elena Delle Donne not only transferred from the University of Connecticut to Delaware but she also completely switched sports from basketball to volleyball. Remarkably she was able to make the volleyball team as a walk on despite only having one year of prior volleyball experience in high school. Even more outstanding was how good of a player she developed into and played a key role in helping the Hens win the CAA Conference Championship and advance to the NCAA Championship.

Delle Donne was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team at the season’s conclusion and was named CAA Rookie of the Week three times over the course of the year. She was fourth on the team in kills with 235 and average 1.93 a game. Delle Donne was also named Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association State Athlete of the Year for 2008 and was named to the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

3. Junior Jabbie

Delaware sweeps, advances to playoffs

2009-05-17T17:12:00.004-04:00

From BlueHens.com:
Despite facing long odds entering the final week of the season, the University of Delaware baseball team clinched a berth in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament after posting a 13-4 victory over Virginia Commonwealth to complete a three-game sweep of the Rams at Bob Hannah Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

So there it is. The Hens move on to the CAA tournament against George Mason, the number one seed. After a long series vs. VCU, lets see if their pitching can hold up. For more coverage, check out our website or pick up this week's issue of the Review.

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

Rorick steps up big in series opener

2009-05-14T22:22:00.007-04:00

From Bluehens.com:
NEWARK, Del. - Behind an incredible complete game effort by Brian Rorick, the University of Delaware baseball team posted a 6-1 victory over Virginia Commonwealth on Thursday afternoon at Bob Hannah Stadium.

Rorick tossed his third consecutive complete game while posting a career-high 13 strikeouts against VCU (20-24, 8-14 CAA). The junior right-hander also scattered four hits and allowed only one unearned run on the way to his fourth win of the season.

This is the type of performance the Hens need if they want to be competitive in the CAA. They already have the big bats in Bill Merkler, Ryan Cuneo, and Ryan Reed. Rorick has been a work horse this season, starting in 12 games. This was his third consecutive complete game. If pitchers like Rich O'Donnell can step it up come tournament time the Hens can make a run. Lets see how they do tomorrow in the second game of the series.

Go to http://www.bluehens.com/sportsinfo/baseball/base09-vcu1.html for more on the game.

Big bats square off in final season series vs. VCU

2009-05-13T21:52:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow is the beginning of the end of the season for the Hens' baseball squad. They square off against VCU in the first game of a three game series. Both teams flaunt their big bats and had trouble in the pitching department all season- a reason why it will be difficult for either team to succeed in the tournament. VCU's best pitcher, Ian Thomas has a 4.27 ERA this season- not so good. If you're at Bob Hannah Stadium in the next three days watch your head because it might be raining home runs.

Check out our underpReview for the series:
Delaware vs. Virginia Commonwealth

photo courtesy of Sports Information

AUDIO: Chicken Scratch, sports desk podcast 5/12

2009-05-11T22:28:00.004-04:00

THE REVIEW/File Photo

In the tenth installment of the sports desk podcast, sports desk editors Alex Porro and Pat Maguire, managing sports editor Ryan Langshaw and executive editor Brian Anderson wrapped up spring sports.

Click here to go to The Review's podcast page.

Georgetown Athletic Director Bernard Muir named Hens' new AD

2009-05-11T12:28:00.007-04:00

UD President Patrick Harker just introduced Georgetown Athletic Director Bernard Muir as the replacement for retiring Delaware AD Edgar Johnson. After holding the AD post at Georgetown since 2005, Muir is probably looking to come to a school with a stronger football program.

At Georgetown he oversaw 27 athletic programs, most of which were competing in the Big East conference, so it is going to be a bit different for him to be coming into the CAA. Let's see what he can bring to the table for Hens' sports.

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

VIDEO: Chicken Scratch, sports desk video podcast 5/5

2009-05-05T10:00:00.002-04:00

In this video podcast, sports editor Alex Porro and executive editor Brian Anderson talk about the NFC East, and their feelings on the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.

Click here to go to The Review's podcast page and listen to our audio podcasts.

AudiO: Chicken Scratch, sports desk podcast 5/5

2009-05-05T00:33:00.001-04:00

In the ninth installment of the sports desk podcast, sports desk editors Alex Porro and Pat Maguire and executive editor Brian Anderson discussed the women's lacrosse team, the NBA playoffs and the Kentucky Derby.

Click here to go to The Review's podcast page.

Ross Recieves Contract Extension

2009-04-29T14:18:00.003-04:00

Men's basketball head coach Monte' Ross was given a contract extension yesterday, keeping him on board through the 2014-2015 season. Ross's record with the Hens is 32-62 through three seasons in which he has gone 5-26, 14-17 and 13-19. Now that he has had time to establish his own recruiting classes, it will be interesting to see how he will do in the 2009-2010 season and beyond.

For more information go to bluehens.com.

AudiO: Chicken Scratch, sports desk podcast 4/28

2009-04-27T22:11:00.002-04:00

In the eigth installment of the sports desk podcast, sports desk editors Alex Porro and Pat Maguire, assistant sports editor Matt Waters and executive editor Brian Anderson discussed the men and women's lacrosse team, as well as the NFL Draft.

Click here to go to The Review's podcast page.

AUDIO: Chicken Scratch, sports desk podcast 4/21

2009-04-20T23:14:00.000-04:00

In the seventh installment of the sports desk podcast, managing sports editors Ryan Langshaw and Seif Hussein, sports desk editor Alex Porro and executive editor Brian Anderson discussed the upcoming NFL draft, as well was what Delaware needs to do to get players drafted each year.

Click here to go to The Review's podcast page.

Chicken Scratch, sports desk podcast 4/14

2009-04-13T21:37:00.002-04:00

In the sixth installment of the sports desk podcast, executive editor Brian Anderson, sports desk editor Alex Porro, copy editor Greg Arent and managing sports editor Ryan Langshaw give the spring sports a midseason grade.

Click here to go to The Review's podcast page.

Chicken Scratch, sports desk podcast 3/24

2009-03-24T01:28:00.000-04:00

In the fifth installment of the sports desk podcast, executive editor Brian Anderson, sports desk editor Alex Porro and managing sports editor Ryan Langshaw discuss spring sports, the World Baseball Classic and the NCAA men's tournament.

Click here to go to The Review's podcast page.

Chicken Scratch, sports desk podcast 3/17

2009-03-16T23:09:00.001-04:00

In the fourth installment of the sports desk podcast, sports desk editor Alex Porro, managing sports editor Ryan Langshaw and executive editor Brian Anderson discuss the CAA women's basketball tournament loss, football ticket prices and the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Click here to go to The Review's podcast page.

AUDIO: Chicken Scratch, sports desk podcast 3/10

2009-03-10T00:05:00.001-04:00

In the third installment of the sports desk podcast, executive editor Brian Anderson, managing sports editor Ryan Langshaw, sports editors Pat Mcguire and Alex Porro and assistant sports editor Matt Waters discuss the CAA men's basketball tournament loss, the men's lacrosse team and Terrell Owens.

Click here to go to The Review's podcast page.

#9 Delaware vs. #8 Georgia State

2009-03-06T10:38:00.102-05:00

Delaware and Georgia State meet for the third time this season but just for the first time in the post season. Delaware (13-18) had a better overall record than Georgia State (11-19), but Georgia State won two more games in conference play to earn the 8th seed. The teams split the regular season matches with both teams winning on their home floor. Delaware won 60-48 back on January 24, and Georgia State won a hard-fought game 70-67 on February 7.

Delaware at Georgia State Live!

Delaware won the tip

19:38 Charge on Jim Ledsome
18:55 Missed Layup by Dawson
18:34 Jawan Carter gets the first basket on a layup
17:57 Carter blows a breakaway layup
16:42 Carter hits 2 FTs to tie the game at 4
Ledsome commits his second foul already, that's bad news for the Hens frontcourt play
14:41 Leonard Mendez, GS, scores
14:20 Alfonso Dawson HUGE dunk to tie the game at 6
13:17 Media Timeout
So far, there's been open looks and pretty good shots, it seems as if both teams have some jitters to shake before we really get started.
DEL 6, GS 6
Delaware's only shooting 20% on 2-10, GS is shooting 27.3% on 3-11
Georgia hits it's first FT, 7-6 GS
12:37 Joe Dukes, GS's star, draws the foul on Adam Pegg, hits both, 9-6 GS
11:56 Media Timeout
Delaware is playing poorly, with Santiago committing a turnover just before the time out. Marc Egerson, CAA First-team as of today, still has no points. GS is doing well on defending him. Joe Dukes has four points, which should be worrysome for Delaware. If Dukes gets going, this game might be over quickly.
11:46 Dawson good on a jumper, 9-8 GS
11:23 Ledsome gets a big steal
11:00 Santiago makes up for the turnover, nice baseline jumper, 10-9 DEL
Santiago takes a great charge, DEL possession
10:09 Foul on Joe Dukes, GS
9:30 Mendez gets a hard layup, 6 pts for him, 11-10 GS
8:47 Foul on Ledsome, his third
8:16 Jumper by Dawson, 13-12 GS
7:41 Long two by Trae Goldston, 15-12 GS
7:21 Foul committed by Goldston, Media Timeout
The pace is starting to pick up for both teams. Dawson is 3-7 but he seems to be getting his shot on point now.
7:13 As I say that, Dawson misses an open 3
5:59 Delaware has a two on one, Carter loses the ball out of bounds
5:41 Leonard Mendez layup good, 17-12 GS
5:31 Pau Geli fouls, 1 and 1 for GS, Rashad Chase hits both 19-12 GS
4:52 Trey Hampton, GS, offensive foul
3:20 Jim Ledsome gets fouled on a good layup, he'll shoot one after the Media Timeout
Dawson has been awful since I said he seems to be getting hot. He's forcing shots that have no sense leaving his hands. Egerson only has 3 shots, so Dawson needs to give the rock up for DEL to have a chance. 19-14 GS
Ledsome missed the FT but Carter got the put back layup, 19-16 GS
Dante Curry, GS, hits a 3, 22-16 GS
2:05 Goldston commits the foul on Egerson, both good 22-18 GS
1:00 Rashad Chase, GS commits the foul, Brian Johnson heads to the FT line for 1-and-1
Misses the first
21.1 Ledsome falls out of bounds with the ball, GS keeps possession, GS timeout
This would be huge for DEL if the Hens can keep them from scoring before half
1.1 Pau Geli, who came in for Ledsome, commits a shooting foul.
Rashad Chase misses the first and the second.
Halftime score - 22-18 Georgia State

It was an ugly first half for the Hens to say the least. Egerson missed all of his shots, ending the half going 0-6 with two points. Dawson has gone 3-10 and should think twice about half the shots he takes. Then Hens have two plays with 6 points (Dawson and Carter) and three players with 2 points.
Georgia State isn't doing much better. Leonard Mendez is 4-9 for 8 points, and the Hens have held Joe Dukes to just 4 points on 1-4 shooting.
Both teams are having horrific shooting days so far. Delaware is shooting 7-28 for 25% while Georgia State is shooting 8-27 for 29.3%. Three-pointers are hard to come by, as Delaware went 0-9 from beyond the arc and Georgia State went just 1-8.

Second Half on the way

19:32 Joe Dukes hits a three to start the half
19:09 Big dunk from Jim Ledsome, 25-20 GS, assist from Egerson
18:20 Marc Egerson hits his first FG because of a goaltending call
17:55 Great play by Jim Ledsome to take the charge, 25-22 GS
17:19 Trae Goldston, GS, hits a pretty layup, 27-22 GS
Egerson gets fouled driving baseline, hits both at the line
16:04 Joe Dukes hits a three, 30-24
15:32 Xavier Hansbro hits another three, 33-24
Media Timeout
15:30 Jawan Carter misses a three
14:58 Mendez hits a runner off the glass, 35-24 GS
14:00 Dawson takes a terrible shot from three, forcing yet another doomed attempt
12:43 Egerson steps out of bounds, GS ball, still 35-24 GS
12:40 Chase gets a layup, 37-24
11:55 Media Timeout
The Panthers completely have the momentum. Joe Dukes has a double-double already with 11 points and 10 rebounds. There has been terrible shooting by everyone on the Hens. Dukes seems ready to take over the game and put it to sleep early.
10:59 Edwin Santiago hits a tough runner through the lane and gets fouled in the act. 37-26 GS
10:55 Santiago misses the FT, gets his own rebound but misses badly on the put back
10:10 Delaware ball off of GS turnover
9:45 Egerson hits a three, 37-29 GS
9:07 Brian Johnson Layup good, 37-31 GS
The Panthers take a 30 second timeout to cool down the 7-point run the Hens just started.
8:52 Leonard Mendez gets a layup off the inbounds pass, 39-31 GS
7:52 Media Timeout
Well, the Hens made 7 straight before Mendez hit that layup, so they aren't looking too badly right now. Eight points is still a good amount with 8 minutes left, but let's see what the Hens have in them.
7:12 Ledsome gets fouled but misses the 1-and-1 FT
6:49 Egerson commits a shooting foul on Rashad Chase, he hits 1
6:24 Jim Ledsome gets another huge putback dunk, 40-33
6:03 Goldston hits a jumper, 42-33 GS
Hampton, GS, hits a layup, 44-33
5:18 Dawson gets fouled and hits two FTs, 44-35 GS
4:59 Georgia State calls a time out after Delaware puts on the press.
Nine points in 5 minutes is going to be hard for Delaware, but I'm sure Egerson doesn't want his college career to end just yet.
4:03 Santiago gets called on a block, sends Joe Dukes to the line for 1-and-1
Dukes hits both, 46-35 GS
3:44 Brian Johnson draws a foul on the drive, he'll shoot two after the Media Timeout
It's going to be difficult to come back now. Delaware has only shot 13-45 from the field, so it's hard to believe that the Hens are going to get hot now. They're also 1-17 from three-point range.
Johnson hits 1, 46-36 GS
3:12 Joe Dukes gets fouled after running the shot clock down 32 seconds. He hits both, 48-36 GS
3:00 Dawson airballs a desperation three
2:20 Egerson steals the ball, gets fouled en route to the basket.
He hits both, 48-38 GS
2:10 Hansbro gets a layup on a fastbreak, 50-38 GS
1:40 Goldston scores a layup off the Carter turnover. 52-38 GS
1:31 Dawson hits a three, 52-41. Timeout Delaware.
1:10 GS calls a timeout.
The rest of the game is a formality at this point.
:50 Johnson throws the off GS, DEL ball.
:42.4 Carter misses a layup, fouls Hansbro
:17.7 Carter fouls Kevin Lott for two FTs, he hits both 54-41 GS
:00.0 Georgia State 54, University of Delaware 41

It was a sloppy game for both the Panthers and the Hens, but the Panthers proved to be the more composed team as Georgia State beats the University of Delaware 54-41. Joe Dukes lead the Panthers with 15 points, going 7-8 from the foul line and completed a double-double with 12 rebounds. Marc Egerson ends his college career with an abismal game, going 2-11 for 11 points and 9 rebounds.

Thanks for joining me for the first live blog on Chicken Scratch.

Matthew Waters

Hens Shock James Madison for Senior Night Send Off

2009-02-28T22:09:00.008-05:00

In their last home game of the season, the Hens played like champions.

Delaware's 79-65 senior night rout of CAA foe James Madison saw the home side play some of their best basketball of the season as the team picked up some much needed momentum as they head into CAA tournament play next weekend in Richmond, VA.

After an early JMU 3-pointer to open the scoring, Delaware went on a 21-0 run in the first half that began with a Marc Egerson off-balance lay up and ended minutes later when the Dukes closed the gap to 21-6 with another 3. The Hens shot 49.1 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from beyond the arc while playing tight defense and pressuring their opponents into poor shots.

Though James Madison was able to get back within 7 points after a flurry of baskets to open the second half, the Hens controlled the rest of the game by shutting down Juwann James, the Dukes' leading scorer, who finished with a game-high 23 points, though much of that came in the first half.

Delaware was able to get all their seniors into the game towards the end. Though Egerson and Jim Ledsome started the game, Pau Geli and Brian Young rotated into the game. Each senior was given a standing ovation as he left the court.

"The biggest thing we wanted to do was to send our seniors off right," head coach Monte Ross said to the raucus crowd after the game. "I think we did that."

Alex Porro

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Delaware tops Northeastern

2009-02-26T21:10:00.004-05:00

The Delaware women's basketball team defeated Northeastern in CAA action tonight at the Bob Carpenter Center, 64-53.

The Hens scored 40 points in the second half to beat the Huskies and improve to 13-14 on the season. The win improved their record in the CAA to 5-11 with less than a week before the CAA tournament begins.

Tesia Harris led Delaware with 17 points, including a three pointer, and six rebounds. Corinthia Benison also had 14 points in the win.

As a team, had Hens had nine blocks and 11 steals. They were 19 for 47 (40.4 percent) from the field and shot 78.1 percent (25 for 35) from the free-throw line.

UD football will play DSU for first time in regular season

2009-02-24T11:07:00.005-05:00

Apart from a first round meeting in the 2007 FCS playoffs, UD and Del State's football teams have never met. Despite the fact that the schools are only 45 miles apart, they've somehow managed to avoid bumping into each other in regular season play for the 82 seasons that both teams have coexisted. Though there were quickly refuted allegations of racism (DSU is a historically black school), UD quelled most controversy with a 44-7 thrashing of the Hornets in those '07 playoffs.

It seems like a sure bet that will soon change, as The News Journal's Kevin Tresolini is reporting that a press conference later today should reveal some drastic scheduling changes in regards to UD's downstate neighbor. According to the plan, UD and DSU will meet this regular season on Sept. 19th, and then annually after that until 2013. The seemingly spontaneous scheduling change which allowed for DSU's insertion into the upcoming season's schedule was caused by Furman's withdrawal on that date so they could play Missouri.

Click through for more. The News Journal

Update (12:46 PM): The University of Delaware has made it official! UD and DSU have scheduled four regular season meetings. The teams will meet in September of 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2014, each time at UD's 22,000 seat stadium. Hopefully this will be a competitive series and create some much anticipated in-state rivalry between the two teams.

AUDIO: Chicken Scratch, sports desk podcast

2009-02-23T23:31:00.002-05:00

In the first installment of the sports desk podcast, executive editor Brian Anderson, managing sports editor Seif Hussain, sports editor Alex Porro and assistant sports editor Matt Waters discuss the CAA men's basketball tournament, transfer-quarterback Pat Devlin and early picks for the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Click here to go to The Review's podcast page.

Videos highlight All-CAA football teams, 3 Hens recognized

2009-02-17T00:58:00.002-05:00

We knew who became All-CAA players in November, but now, the CAA has provided videos of those "teams."

Three Hens recieved All-CAA honors:

Safety Charles Graves, first team
Center Kheon Hendricks, second team
Tight end Robbie Agnone, third team

The videos can be found here.