The Pioneer Trail: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015

2/21/2015 9:29:00 AM

Women's Swimming at Metropolitan Conference Championships
Three first-place finishes and nine NCAA qualifying times highlighted the first day of competition for the LIU Post women's swimming team at the Metropolitan Conference Championships. As Day Two approaches, the Pioneers will look to continue their dominance and stake their claim to a third-consecutive Metro Conference crown.

The green and gold earned a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay, as the team of freshman Laura Bendfeldt (Grosshansdorf, Germany), junior Meghan Brazier (West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) and seniors Johanna Pettersson (Kungalv, Sweden) and Courtney Delehanty (Oceanport, N.J.) clocked an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:34.58. The Pioneers also overwhelmed the competition in the 200-yard individual medley race, placing five swimmers inside the Top-6. Leading the way was Pettersson with a time of 2:02.55, followed closely behind by senior Carolin Rademacher (Isernhagen, Germany) (2:02.59), junior Joyce Kwok (Middle Village, N.Y.) (2:04.43) and freshman Cristina Garcia Mauri (Malaga, Spain) (2:07.57). Fellow first-year Erika Hultman (Bara, Sweden) finished in sixth, touching the pad in a time of 2:10.45.

Brazier, Delehanty and Bendfeldt finished three-four-five in the 50-yard freestyle race, sporting NCAA provisional qualifying times in the sprint. The 400-yard medley relay team of Pettersson, Rademacher, Kwok and Brazier beat the competition and clocked an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:43.04.

Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field at East Coast Conference Championships
For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the LIU Post men's and women's indoor track and field teams will be competing for bragging rights in the East Coast Conference. It will be the third time this season that the Pioneers have competed at Saint Anthony's High School in South Huntington, N.Y., after two earlier meets yielded positive results for the green and gold.

At the Molloy Invitational last Saturday (Feb. 14), red-shirt sophomore Mike Scott (Fultonville, N.Y.) continued his dominance in the one-mile run. Scott ran a 4:26.72 in the one-mile race, beating second-place finisher Conor Gallagher of Molloy by nearly two seconds. He also placed seventh in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:00.76.

For the women's team, junior Elizabeth Stirling (Wantagh, N.Y.) broke a 16-year old record by placing third in the 5,000-meter race (18:29.43). Her time smashed Andrea Cooper's program standard of 18:42.8, which was set in 1999. Additionally, freshman Talya Williams (Schenectady, N.Y.) finished second in the women's mile (5:17.78) and fifth in the 800-meter run (2:27.24). Graduate student Robin Lynn (Glen Gardener, N.J.) crossed the line in the one-mile race in fifth with a time of 5:35.6, while freshman Danae Glover (North Babylon, N.Y.) placed fourth in the women's triple jump with a score of 11.15.

Women's Basketball vs. Queens (N.Y.) - 1:30 p.m.
What happens when the two best scorers in the East Coast Conference appear on the same court together?  Saturday, fans at the Pratt Recreation Center will find out when senior guard Chelsea Williams (Copiague, N.Y.) and the LIU Post women's basketball team host sophomore forward Madison Rowland (Albany, N.Y.) and Queens at 1:30 p.m.

The Pioneers (15-9, 11-5 ECC) utilized another dominant performance from Williams in a 76-62 victory over Molloy on Wednesday (Feb. 18) in Rockville Centre, N.Y. The reigning ECC Player of the Year scored 26 points---including an 11-for-18 outing from the free-throw line---while also totaling six rebounds and four steals. Williams surpassed 2012 graduate Felicia Joyner for third-place on the all-time career scoring list with 1,565 points. Williams is now 142 points away from Sue Salg (1979-83, 1,707) for second place in program history.

Senior guard Ashley Castle (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 22 points, while junior center Nyasia Davis (Rahway, N.J.) poured in yet another double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds). As a team, LIU Post shot 48.0 percent (24-of-50) from the field and outrebounded Molloy by a plus-14 margin (45-31).

Queens (17-6, 12-4 ECC) capitalized on proficient offense and stingy defense to take down NYIT by a score of 74-61 at Fitzgerald Gymnasium on Wednesday (Feb. 18). The Knights shot 51.7 percent (30-of-58) from the floor in the contest while limiting their opponents to a 31.8 percent (21-of-66) clip from the field. Junior guard Kristen Korzevinski (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) led her team with 18 points while junior forward MacKenzie Rowland (Albany, N.Y.) added 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Rowland sisters combined for 31 points, 17 rebounds, six blocks and five steals in the win, as Madison Rowland totaled 14 points and seven boards off the bench.

In terms of statistics, Williams' 21.3 points-per-game average is nine-tenths of a point better than Rowland's. Rowland, however, is in the Top-5 in the conference in rebounds per game (9.7) and field-goal percentage (49.5). Korzevinski is the best shooter in the ECC, averaging 52.4 percent from the field for the Knights.

In the last meeting between the two teams, which took place on Jan. 17, Rowland (26) outscored Williams (25) and the Knights topped the Pioneers by a final score of 77-71. The difference in the game came in the turnover battle, as LIU Post committed 20 turnovers, which led to 20 points for Queens (N.Y.). The Knights committed only 13 turnovers, and the green and gold managed just two points off of those miscues.

Men's Basketball vs. Queens (N.Y.) - 3:30 p.m.
The LIU Post men's basketball team has taken its fair share of bumps and bruises this season on its way to an 8-8 record in conference play. With four games to play until the postseason, every game is critical to the Pioneers' playoff chances. This Saturday, the green and gold host a Queens team that is looking for back-to-back upsets of the Boulevard rivals.

Senior forward Tyuan Williams (Newark, N.J.) led LIU Post to a 61-56 victory over Molloy on Wednesday (Feb. 18) at Quealy Gymnasium. In a game where it seemed neither side could knock down a jumper, the Pioneers outlasted their opponents by hitting shots from the free-throw line. The green and gold knocked down just five field goals in the second half, but a 17-for-22 performance from the foul line in the final stanza proved to be enough for the victory. Molloy only hit two three-pointers in the entire contest, and missed an uncharacteristic 12 free throws, including a 9-for-19 mark in the second half.

Senior guard P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y.) added 13 points off the bench for the Pioneers and junior guard Devon McMillan (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit six clutch free throws in the second half to put the game on ice. The green and gold enjoyed a plus-14 rebounding margin (48-34), which created an overwhelming advantage in second chance points (16-4).

Queens (6-17, 6-10 ECC) provided the biggest shock of the season so far by upsetting NYIT, 80-68, in Flushing, N.Y. on Wednesday (Feb. 18). The Knights played frenetic defense, holding' Bears senior guard Darian Hooker (Washington, D.C.) to just 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Hooker had averaged 38 points through the previous four contests before being limited to his lowest point total of the season. Meanwhile, red-shirt senior guard Jeremiah Mordi (Valley Stream, N.Y.) had a breakout game for Queens, sporting a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Additionally, sophomore guard Diego Maldonado (Valley Stream, N.Y.) shot a blistering 6-for-9 from long range and scored 18 points for the Knights, while second-year forward Paul Little (Englewood, N.J.) added 10 points and 13 rebounds.

In the previous meeting between the teams back on Jan. 18, LIU Post snatched a 70-69 victory from their opponents in Flushing, N.Y. Williams knocked down a jumper as time expired, while Torres scored a team-high 20 points in the win. Senior guard Dillon Burns (Staten Island, N.Y.) added 14 points and five rebounds.