By Amber DeFabio
Golf ended 3rd at the PSAC Championships. The women also placed 7th at the Evann Parker Memorial, 13th at the Bucknell Invitational, 2nd at the OVU Fall Classic and 2nd at the Kutztown Fall Invitational. The Golden Bears completed their season strongly defending their home turf.
Steven Maine, sophomore, finished the men’s cross country season as he took 72nd at the NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Championship. Maine had the best national finish KU had seen for more than 20 years. The cross country men began their season strong at the Dutchmen Invitational, coming away 1st out of eight teams. After that, the men had a hard time following with such significant wins. They came in 4th in the Division II/III Challenge, 22nd at the Paul Short Invite, 3rd at the Bulldog Invitational, 6th at the PSAC Championships and 6th at the NCAA Atlantic Regional.
The cross country women made to the NCAA Atlantic Regional as well, finishing 9th and closing their season on a high note. The Golden Bears began their season with a 2nd place win at the Dutchmen Invitational. KU came in 4th in the Division II/III Challenge, 26th at the Paul Short Invite, 2nd at the Bulldog Invitational and 8th in the PSAC Championships.
Football ended with the East title after seven wins and four losses. The men started out slow, losing to Assumption, Gannon, West Chester and Bloomsburg with intermittent wins against Indiana, Cheyney and Millersville.
The Golden Bears lost both of their first home games which left a disappointing taste in KU football fans’ mouths, especially after a crushing performance by Gannon and West Chester. However, the KU men redeemed themselves with a four-streak win at the end of the season against East Stroudsburg, Lock Haven, Shippensburg and Clarion. The Golden Bears returned the beat down that West Chester had given them the week prior and dominated East Stroudsburg.
The field hockey women finished their season 11-7 after wins against Mansfield, Newberry, East Stroudsburg, Indiana, Mercyhurst, Mercy, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Slippery Rock, Bloomsburg, Mansfield, West Chester and Seton Hill, with losses against Limestone, West Chester, Shippensburg, Millersville, East Stroudsburg, Indiana and West Chester. The Golden Bears ended their season on a sour note with a 6-1 loss to West Chester in the PSAC Quarterfinals after an eight game winning streak.
After 11 wins and six losses, the Golden Bears ended their soccer season with a 1-0 loss against Edinboro at the PSAC Quarterfinals. The women won against Millersville, Lock Haven, Shippensburg, Indiana, California, East Stroudsburg, Clarion, Bloomsburg, Mansfield, Mercyhurst, and Pitt-Johnston. They lost against Seton Hill, West Chester, Gannon, Edinboro and Slippery Rock. They tied one game against Charleston.
KU volleyball’s last game ended on the Golden Bears’ senior day with a 3-1 loss against Millersville. Unfortunately for the KU women, this seemed to be the theme of their 2015 fall season. KU lost 26 games and won eight. The Golden Bears won their eight games against Davis & Elkins, Shepherd, Cheyney (twice) , East Stroudsburg (twice), Slippery Rock and Chowan.
The KU men’s rugby team lost to Indiana during the ACRC Bowl Series, remaining one try from the last win of the season. The only other loss they had during the 15s season was against Penn State, who they held off long enough to keep claim of the Rugby East title. The KU men beat Army for the first time in history for their homecoming game. Yet, critics such as D1A Rugby and Alex Goff noticed that KU didn’t have the normal score lines this season like the normally do.
The women’s rugby club ranked in the top 16 DII teams in the nation. After a tough 43-24 loss against Bowdoin, the Golden Bears played a dominating game against Coast Guard for a consolation win of 35-14. Although their journey for a National Championship ended, the women were proud of their team considering the inexperience of many of the new players that stepped into starting position that were left vacant by last semester large graduating class.
