Temple comes up short in preseason poll

According to the powers that be in the Big East, Temple has a long journey ahead to make some noise in its new conference. In the 2012 preseason media poll, the Owls recieved 41 points and were ranked last in the conference at eighth place.

Louisville recieved 24 of a possible 28 first place votes and is the overwhelming favorite to win the conference after tying for the title last year. The Owls will match up with the conference favorite in Kentucky on Nov. 3.

A school that Temple might be looking to extract some revenge on also placed highly in the conference. After knocking off the basketball team in the first round of the NCAA championship, the University of South Florida football team received the other four first place votes and sits at second in the poll. The Owls will look for a rematch on Oct. 16 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Women’s soccer “excited” about final A-10 season

The women’s soccer team will enter the 2012 season as the last team at Temple to play a season in the Atlantic 10 Conference. As the Owls will enter the Big East in all sports in 2013, the women’s soccer team will have its last shot at capturing the A-10 title.

The 20-game 2012 schedule for the women’s soccer team is split into 10 home games at Ambler Campus and 10 away games. Of the 20 games, nine are A-10 conference games, representing the last time Temple will face A-10 opponents in conference play.

“I am very excited about the schedule this year,” coach Matt Gwilliam said.

Entering his second season with the Owls, Gwilliam sees this season as a stepping stone for next year when Temple will begin play in the Big East. Gwilliam hopes that the matches on Aug. 24 against Hofstra at Temple’s Ambler campus and the match at James Madison University on Aug. 26 will help the team prepare for the Big East move in 2013.

“Both Hofstra and James Madison have a pedigree comparable to teams of the Big East,” Gwilliam said.

Included in the 2012 schedule are four Big-5 matchups. The Owls’ first Big-5 game of the year will be against the University of Pennsylvania on Sept. 2. On Sept. 14, Temple will host Drexel University at Ambler.

The St. Joseph’s University Hawks will visit Ambler for a game against the Owls on Sept. 29. The final matchup of the Big-5 rivalry will conclude on Oct. 28 as the Owls will host La Salle.

Dayton, the back-to-back-to-back A-10 champion, is not on Temple’s regular season schedule.

Here’s a complete look at the schedule for the 2012 women’s soccer season.

Sun. 8/19/2012 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 2:00 p.m. Details
James Madison Tournament
Fri. 8/24/2012 Hofstra University Harrisonburg, Va. 5:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 8/26/2012 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA 1:30 p.m. Details
Fri. 8/31/2012 New Jersey Institute of Technology Ambler, Pa. Live Stats 4:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 9/2/2012 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 7:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 9/7/2012 Iona College Ambler, Pa. Live Stats 4:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 9/9/2012 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 12:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 9/14/2012 Drexel University Ambler, Pa. Live Stats 4:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 9/16/2012 University of Hartford Ambler, Pa. Live Stats 2:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 9/21/2012 Siena College Loudonville, NY 4:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 9/23/2012 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY 4:00 p.m. Details
Sat. 9/29/2012 * Saint Joseph’s Ambler, Pa. Live Stats 1:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 10/5/2012 * St. Bonaventure University Olean, NY 3:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 10/7/2012 * Duquesne University Pittsburgh, Pa. 1:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 10/12/2012 * University of Rhode Island Ambler, Pa. Live Stats 3:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 10/14/2012 * University of Massachusetts Ambler, Pa. Live Stats 1:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 10/19/2012 * Butler University Indianapolis, IN 7:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 10/21/2012 * Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO 1:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 10/26/2012 * Fordham University Ambler, Pa. Live Stats 3:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 10/28/2012 * La Salle University Ambler, Pa. Live Stats 1:00 p.m. Details
Atlantic 10 Tournament
Thu.-Sun. 11/1-4/2012 TBD Kingston, R.I. TBA Details

John Murrow

Volleyball strives to gain new ground

The volleyball team will have a busy start to the 2012 season, facing 14 teams in the first three weeks as the Owls try to improve upon their 8-20 record last season.

Junior Gabriella Matautia, who led the team last year with 325 kills, and sophomore Tiffany Connatser, who was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie Team last season after leading the Owls with 965 assists, will lead the attack for the Owls again this season.

Coach Bakeer Ganes said Matautia and Connatser, along with junior Elyse Burkert and senior Chelsea Tupuola are the Owls’ top returning student-athletes.

“[Matautia], [Burkert], [Connatser] and [Tupuola] are a good core group coming back for us,” coach Bakeer Ganes said. “We expect a lot from them and they expect a lot from themselves.”

Temple will start the season, on Aug. 24 in the South Carolina Invitational against South Carolina, allowing the Owls a chance to avenge last season’s loss in straight sets against the Gamecocks. They’ll play three more matches before returning to Philadelphia to take part in the Big 5 tournament against Penn, Villanova and La Salle. Temple went 1-2 in the same tournament last season.

Less than a week later, the Owls will travel to Ohio to face Chicago State, Indiana State and Miami (Ohio) in the Miami, Ohio Invitational. After a non-conference home matchup against New Jersey Institute of Technology, Temple hosts a home invitational that includes Central Connecticut, Cornell and Navy.

“We like to start our season on the road and then come back and finish our non-conference schedule at home,” Ganes said.

Temple will then begin their last season of A-10 conference play, looking to improve after finishing eighth last year, before entering the Big East Conference in 2013.

“We have five new kids, and a lot of the young kids that played last year are more experienced and mature so it’s a good mix,” Ganes said. “This team is going to play until it’s over, leave everything on the court, and that’s something we’re trying to establish here.”

Here’s a complete look at the schedule for the 2012 volleyball season.

University of South Carolina Invitational
Fri. 8/24/2012 South Carolina Columbia, SC 12:30 PM Details
Fri. 8/24/2012 East Tennessee State Columbia, S.C. 5:30 PM Details
Sat. 8/25/2012 UNC Asheville Columbia, S.C. 10:00 AM Details
Sat. 8/25/2012 Akron Columbia, S.C. 5:30 PM Details
Big 5 Tournament
Fri. 8/31/2012 Penn Philadelphia, Pa. 7:00 PM Details
Sat. 9/1/2012 Villanova Philadelphia, Pa. 1:00 PM Details
Sat. 9/1/2012 La Salle Philadelphia, Pa. 4:00 PM Details
Miami of Ohio Invitational
Fri. 9/7/2012 Chicago State Oxford, Ohio 4:00 PM Details
Sat. 9/8/2012 Indiana State Oxford, Ohio 1:00 PM Details
Sat. 9/8/2012 Miami (Ohio) Oxford, Ohio 7:30 PM Live Stats Details
Wed. 9/12/2012 NJIT McGonigle Hall 6:00 PM Live Stats Details
Temple Invitational
Fri. 9/14/2012 Central Connecticut McGonigle Hall 4:00 PM Details
Fri. 9/14/2012 Navy McGonigle Hall 7:30 PM Live Stats Details
Sat. 9/15/2012 Central Connecticut vs. Cornell McGonigle Hall 10:00 AM Live Stats Details
Sat. 9/15/2012 Navy vs. Central Connecticut McGonigle Hall 1:00 PM Details
Sat. 9/15/2012 Cornell McGonigle Hall 5:00 PM Live Stats Details
Fri. 9/21/2012 * Rhode Island McGonigle Hall 7:00 PM Live Stats Details
Sat. 9/22/2012 * Fordham McGonigle Hall 7:00 PM Live Stats Details
Fri. 9/28/2012 * Xavier McGonigle Hall 7:00 PM Live Stats Details
Sat. 9/29/2012 * Dayton McGonigle Hall 7:00 PM Live Stats Details
Fri. 10/5/2012 * La Salle Philadelphia, Pa. 7:00 PM Details
Fri. 10/12/2012 * Duquesne Pittsburgh, Pa. 7:00 PM Details
Sun. 10/14/2012 * George Washington Washington, D.C. 1:00 PM Details
Fri. 10/19/2012 * Fordham New York, N.Y. 7:00 PM Details
Sun. 10/21/2012 * Rhode Island Kingston, R.I. 1:00 PM Details
Fri. 10/26/2012 * VCU McGonigle Hall 7:00 PM Live Stats Details
Sat. 10/27/2012 * Charlotte McGonigle Hall 7:00 PM Live Stats Details
Fri. 11/2/2012 * Saint Louis Saint Louis, Mo. 8:00 PM Details
Sun. 11/4/2012 * Butler Indianapolis, Ind. 12:00 PM Details
Fri. 11/9/2012 * La Salle McGonigle Hall 7:00 PM Live Stats Details

Brandon Stoneburg

Ice hockey releases schedule, eyes postseason

A more forgiving 2012-13 schedule for ice hockey may help ease the path to the postseason after the team fell short of that goal last year.

After struggling through the 2011-12 season that saw Temple drop 12 consecutive games en route to a 9-17 record, coach Jerry Roberts and his team ensured that more thought was put into this year’s schedule, released Saturday, July 28.

“Last year, we tried to make a statement early on,” Roberts said. “We scheduled as many difficult teams as we could find in that first half of the year, and it just didn’t work. We had a long losing streak in the middle of a very tough stretch, and a lot of them were close games against very good teams.”

“We spaced things out a little this year and really tried to be smarter about who we played and when we played them,” Roberts added. “There’s a lot more balance this year and it should really help.”

The Owls kick off the season at Millersville on Sept. 15, the start of a three-game road stretch in which the Owls will see the College of New Jersey and Lehigh University.

The home schedule opens up with Montclair State on Sept. 29, and will precede a big home matchup with Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association rival Penn State a day later.

Other key games include two meetings with MACHA rival Rowan University, the first being at Rowan on Oct. 13, and a daunting home-at-home series with top division rival University of Maryland Baltimore County on the Jan. 19 and 20.

“Those rivalry games are games that the players and coaches circle on their calendar right away,” Roberts said. “It’s always exciting to play big games like that, and as much as you might dislike a rival team or one of their players, those games end up being the most competitive and the most fun to play.”

After a 2011-12 season that saw the Owls miss the postseason for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign, the Owls will try to get things back in the right direction come September, and will certainly use an easier schedule as leverage.

“We learned a lot from last year,” Roberts said. “No one was happy with it and we had a meeting after the season and talked about what we needed to do to get better. Based on some of the adjustments we made as a team and with the schedule, we expect to be a lot better this year.”

Here’s a look at the ice hockey team’s complete schedule:

9/15 @ Millersville
9/21 @ TCNJ
9/23 @ Lehigh
9/29 vs. Montclair St.
9/30 vs. Penn State
10/5-7 American Collegiate Hockey Association Showcase
10/13 @ Rowan
10/14 @ Delaware
10/19 vs Virginia Tech
10/20 @ Rider
10/26 vs St. Joseph’s University
10/27 @ Montclair St.
11/3 vs Rider
11/4 vs Delaware
11/9 vs Liberty
11/17 @ St. Joe’s
11/18 @ The University of New York
11/30 @ Maryland
12/7 @ Monmouth
12/8 @ Penn State
1/19 @ UMBC
1/20 vs UMBC
1/25 @ Liberty
1/26 @ Virginia Tech
2/1 vs Millersville
2/8 vs Rowan
2/9 vs Monmouth
2/15-17 MACH North Playoffs
2/23-24 ACHA Southeast Regionals
3/15-19 ACHA Nationals

Drew Parent

Owls collect preseason recognition

Five Temple football players have been named to the preseason All-Big East Conference teams produced by College Sports Madness. The only Owl to be named to the first team was junior defensive tackle Levi Brown.

Senior running back Matt Brown, expected to receive significant playing time with the departure of Bernard Pierce to the NFL, was named to the second team along with fellow senior, safety Justin Gildea. Brown also received third team honors at the kick return position.

Seniors Martin Wallace (offensive line) and Brandon McManus (place kicker) rounded out the thrid team squad with Brown. McManus was also named to the 2012 College Football Performance Awards Preseason Watch List is coming off a career year in which he set Temple season records for punting average and extra-points made.

In its first season back in the Big East, the Temple squad coached by Steve Addazio will look to assert its presence early as it takes on rival Villanova in the first game of the season on August 31 at Lincoln Financial Field.

For a complete list of the All-Big East teams, check http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/4503

-Ibrahim Jacobs

Ice hockey prides itself on toughness

To coach Jerry Roberts, the fact that Temple ice hockey is a club sport leaves something to be desired.

“I think not being a part of the NCAA puts a chip on everybody’s shoulder,” Roberts said. “We want to win just as much as any collegiate team, and we play like it day in and day out.”

“We try really hard to change the way people think about the label of ‘club sport,’” Roberts added. “Just because we aren’t a high profile NCAA team doesn’t mean we aren’t legitimate.”

Roberts hopes his enthusiasm and attitude can drive Temple toward the success it enjoyed two seasons ago, one that yielded the only national tournament berth in team history.

After a 2011-12 season that ended with a 5-0 defeat to Penn State in a Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association divisional semifinal, the Owls are backed by several returning core players in search for a deeper playoff run this upcoming season.

“We have a lot more depth this year,” Roberts said. “This team is similar to the team that went to nationals two years ago. We have three or four lines of offense capable of scoring every game, and we have a deep defense as well this year. When you have the depth that we do, it really helps in those later months when guys get banged up.”

Although Roberts is optimistic about the upcoming season, there are areas of the team that have proved to be problematic in the past, and need to be addressed.

“One thing that we are really pushing this year is physical and mental toughness,” Roberts said. “We were soft at times last year and it really hurt us. We want our players to push themselves more and play with more confidence.”

While a chance to get back to the national tournament is important, Roberts’ goals go beyond the win/loss column.

“We want every team that we play against to see us as a tough team,” Roberts said. “At the end of the day, win or lose, we want to be thought of as the team that outworked and outplayed you from start to finish.”

Drew Parent

Goals met for men’s soccer

There is an unfamiliar Atlantic 10 Conference opponent on tap for this year’s men’s soccer team.

Originally scheduled to host Charlotte on Oct. 19, the Owls will now face A-10 newcomer Butler University. The Bulldogs were welcomed into the conference for this upcoming season after initially being told they would have to wait until 2013 to part ways with the Horizon League.

Temple will kick off the season on the road against Virginia Tech for the James Madison Tournament on Aug. 31. The Owls’ home opener is set for Sept. 11 against Manhattan at the Ambler Sports Complex. Following road matchups against local rivals Villanova and Rider, A-10 play will get underway with back-to-back home games against St. Bonaventure and Duquesne.

The Owls finished 2011 with an overall record of 9-10 while going 5-4 in conference play under coach David MacWilliams, who is entering his 13th year at the helm.

“I think we went through spurts last year where we played well and then other times we didn’t,” MacWilliams said. “The key for us is putting the ball in the net while maintaining maturity and consistency.”

The team has a significant void to fill in the form of Tyler Witmer. Witmer led the team in shots on goal with 25 and was second with four goals last year before graduating. Last year’s leading scorer, senior Cody Calafiore, and returning junior Vaughn Spurrier will be relied upon for much of the goal scoring. Incoming freshman Jared Martinelli is also expected to provide an offensive spark.

“We need most of our players to net three or four goals,” MacWilliams said. “I look at it as goal scoring by committee.”

Junior goalkeeper Bobby Rosato is returning after a solid season in net. Rosato posted five shutouts with a .750 save percentage and a 1.39 goals against average. He stopped a career-high 14 shots on Nov. 6 against Fordham. Junior defenseman Drayt Friedman is said to be still out due to a concussion he suffered late last season.

The squad has six freshman set to join the group that already consists of five seniors, eight juniors and four sophomores.

The Owls will play two exhibition games, against Towson on Aug. 18 and Lafayette on Aug. 21, before the regular season gets underway against the Hokies.

Here’s a look at the complete schedule for the 2012 men’s soccer season.

Sat. 8/18/2012 Towson (Exhibition) Towson, MD 6:00 p.m. Details
Tue. 8/21/2012 Lafayette (Exhibition) Ambler Sports Complex 10:00 a.m. Details
James Madison Tournament
Fri. 8/31/2012 Virginia Tech Harrisonburg, VA 5:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 9/2/2012 James Madison Harrisonburg, VA 2:30 p.m. Details
Tue. 9/11/2012 Manhattan Ambler Sports Complex Live Stats 3:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 9/14/2012 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 7:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 9/16/2012 California State-Northridge Northridge, Ca 5:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 9/21/2012 Saint Peter’s Ambler Sports Complex Live Stats 2:30 p.m. Details
Sun. 9/23/2012 Howard Ambler Sports Complex Live Stats 1:00 p.m. Details
Tue. 9/25/2012 Villanova Villanova, PA 4:00 p.m. Details
Sat. 9/29/2012 Rider Lawrenceville, NJ 7:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 10/5/2012 * St. Bonaventure Ambler Sports Complex Live Stats 2:30 p.m. Details
Sun. 10/7/2012 * Duquesne Ambler Sports Complex Live Stats 1:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 10/12/2012 * Rhode Island Kingston, RI 7:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 10/14/2012 * Massachusetts Amherst, MA 1:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 10/19/2012 * Bulter Ambler Sports Complex Live Stats 2:30 p.m. Details
Sun. 10/21/2012 * Saint Louis Ambler Sports Complex Live Stats 1:00 p.m. Details
Fri. 10/26/2012 * Fordham New York, NY 7:00 p.m. Details
Sun. 10/28/2012 * La Salle Philadelphia, PA 1:00 p.m. Details
Sat. 11/3/2012 * Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA 5:00 p.m. Details
Atlantic 10 Tournament
Wed.-Sun. 11/7-11/2012 TBD TBA Details

Tyler Sablich

Field hockey moves forward

For the field hockey team, the 2012 season signifies a change in leadership.

Last year, the Owls had a strong core of senior leadership, led by All-American Bridget Settles.

Settles, along with four other seniors, led a young Temple team that saw freshmen such as forward Amber Youtz and goalkeeper Lizzy Millen develop into solid contributors.

Coach Amanda Janney is looking forward to Millen’s continued improvement in front of the goal.

“[Millen] will have a breakout year, she had a great [Atlantic 10 Conference] tournament and played [United States Field Hockey Association] High Performance Squad, which gave her a lot of confidence and playing experience this spring,” Janney said in an email.

Co-Captains, senior Katie Briglia and junior Molly Doyle, will be leading the young Owls’ squad, who has one senior and eight incoming freshmen this year.

Janney said that she is most concerned about losing two strong defensive backs, with both Carissa Young and Becca Keener graduating.

“We lost two starting backs, but [Doyle] has stepped up this spring and took over as center back,” Janney said. “[Junior midfielder] Mandi Shearer also brings back experience as the other starting defender, so our team defense should develop into a consistent force for us.”

But opening the 2012 season with two Atlantic Coast Conference opponents won’t be an easy task for the Owls. The Temple Invitational kicks off their season, featuring games against Virginia and Duke.

Temple ended their 2011 season with loss to Richmond in the A-10 final, and this year they won’t be able to get a rematch until late in the season on Oct. 21.

This season, the Owls are set to face three teams that finished ranked nationally in the Top 10 in 2011, and will have to do it with only one senior.

Here’s a look at the complete schedule for the 2012 field hockey season.

8/19/2012 Sun. Cherry & White Scrimmage (Alumni Game) Geasey Field 1:00 PM Details
Temple Invitational
8/24/2012 Fri. Virginia Geasey Field 4:00 PM Live Stats Details
8/26/2012 Sun. Duke Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/2/2012 Sun. Rutgers Piscataway, N.J. 1:00 PM Details
9/5/2012 Wed. Monmouth West Long Branch, N.J. 4:30 PM Details
9/8/2012 Sat. Penn State Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/9/2012 Sun. Lafayette Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/14/2012 Fri. Delaware Geasey Field 3:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/16/2012 Sun. Drexel Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/22/2012 Sat. Colgate Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/23/2012 Sun. Bucknell Lewisburg, Pa. 2:00 PM Details
9/28/2012 Fri. Longwood Farmville, Va. 7:00 PM Details
9/30/2012 Sun. Maryland College Park, Md. 1:00 PM Details
10/5/2012 Fri. * VCU Geasey Field 3:00 PM Live Stats Details
10/6/2012 Sat. Radford Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
10/12/2012 Fri. * La Salle Philadelphia, Pa. 3:30 PM Details
10/14/2012 Sun. * Lock Haven Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
10/19/2012 Fri. * Saint Louis (Play 4 the Cure) Geasey Field 3:00 PM Live Stats Details
10/21/2012 Sun. * Richmond Richmond, Va. 1:00 PM Details
10/26/2012 Fri. * Massachusetts Amherst, Mass. 3:00 PM Details
10/28/2012 Sun. * Saint Joseph’s (Senior Day) Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
Atlantic 10 Championships
11/2/2012 Fri. A-10 Semifinals Amherst, Mass. TBA Details
11/3/2012 Sat. A-10 Final Amherst, Mass. TBA Details
11/6/2012 Tue. NCAA Play-In Game TBA TBA Details

Colin Tansits

Cross country looks toward 2012

The schedule for the men’s and women’s cross country teams was released on July 17, and by the looks of it, the Owls will have a great opportunity to take advantage of some home field advantage.

The fall season will kick off Sept. 15 with the Friend Invitational at Belmont Plateau, the practice course used by both teams. After the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University and the Leopard Invitational at Lafayette University, the men’s and women’s teams will return again to Belmont Plateau on Oct. 27 for the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships. The teams will look to improve upon their results from last year at the A-10’s, where the men and women placed 10th and 12th, respectively, in the 14-team race.

Distance coach Matt Jelley is happy to see his teams get a chance to play at a location they are familiar with.

“That’s real exciting to be home,” Jelley said. “The last few years, we’ve had to travel a lot—to places like Pittsburgh and St. Louis—so it’s nice to be home and not have to experience things like jet lag or anything like that.”

After the A-10’s, the Owls will head west to Penn State for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships on Nov. 9. A week later, the men’s and women’s teams will close out their season as they compete in the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America and Eastern Collegiate Association Conference Championships, respectively. Last season, the women’s team earned a school record 15th place finish at the ICA4’s, while the men dropped to fifth place two years removed from a first-place finish in 2010.

The men’s squad will look to bounce back this season after what Jelley called a “rebuilding year.” Part of the reason for the drop off in 2011 was the redshirting of All-American Travis Mahoney. Mahoney will return this fall, and Jelley thinks his reemergence will give the team the boost they need to succeed.

“There are a lot of people who probably think [Mahoney] graduated and don’t realize he is still running cross country,” Jelley said. “There’s also the fact that the team wasn’t as good last year without him. When he comes back, that’s going to be a big shot in the arm for us.”

On the women’s side, Jelley continues to expect “big things” from sophomore Jenna Dubrow, who will attempt to continue her torrid streak, having ranked at the top of the team in every one of her collegiate meets thus far. Jelley is hopeful that Dubrow and her teammates will contribute towards the continued evolution of the team and program.

“We’ve been young for a while. Now we have both the talent and the experience,” Jelley said. “That’s going to pay dividends, and the fans and alumni are going to be pleasantly surprised with just how hard this team has worked.”

Here’s a look at the complete schedule for the 2012 men’s and women’s cross country season.

9/15/2012 Friend Invitational Belmont Plateau (Philadelphia, Pa.) All Day Details
9/28/2012 Paul Short Invitational Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Pa.) All Day Details
10/13/2012 Leopard Invitational Lafayette University (Easton, Pa.) All Day Details
10/27/2012 Atlantic 10 Championships Belmont Plateau (Philadelphia, Pa.) All Day Details
11/9/2012 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships Penn State (State College, Pa.) All Day Details
11/17/2012 IC4A Championships Van Courtland Park (Bronx, N.Y.) All Day Details
11/19/2012 NCAA Championships Louisville University (Louisville, Kent.)

Avery Maehrer

Penn State players interested in Temple

Per the NCAA sanctions handed out to Penn State in light of the cover up imposed by top university officials to protect a now-convicted child sex offender, any Penn State football player may transfer from the university and play for another school immediately. According to one source, some players are looking to move in-state.

Kevin Newsome, a Nittany Lion from 2009-10 who announced his transfer to Temple in January 2012, said that he has spoken to former teammates about the possibility of Penn State players coming to play at Temple.

“There are a couple of guys that have talked to me about Temple,” Newsome said. “There are a couple of guys that are interested.”

Though Newsome refused to name anyone specifically, he said he has received multiple phone calls from players asking him about Temple since the NCAA sanctions were announced.

“Temple is a rising team,” Newsome said. “A lot of people, especially from Penn State, see that Temple is a hard-working team and it’s on the rise.”

Newsome said through the conversations that he’s had, the overall impression that he’s gotten is that most Penn State players want to stay in State College, Pa.  However, he said Temple would stand to gain a lot from Penn State transfers.

“I definitely think a lot of players at Penn State would be a good fit at Temple,” Newsome said.

Newsome completed 14 of 24 passes for 144 yards in two seasons at Penn State. He will officially become a member of the football team’s roster at the end of July.