Lewis was the first collegiate
runner, and second overall across
the finish line with a time of 21:53.10, in the 6K race. The Mountaineers finished in fourth place out of 13
teams, with 129 points.
A total of 145 runners from 13 different
universities participated in the event at the Princeton
Cross Country course. The course is the same venue
the Mountaineers will see at the NCAA Regionals on
Nov. 15.
West Virginia University women’s soccer player Robin Rushton was been named Big East Defensive Player of the Week.
Rushton, an Scarborough, Ontario, native logged all 200 minutes at outside back in WVU’s 1-0-1 weekend. The senior helped the Mountaineer defense record its fourth shutout of the season in a 1-0 win over Kentucky. Rushton and her teammates limited the UK offense to only two shots on-goal. On Sunday, West Virginia played to a 1-1 tie with James Madison. Rushton and her teammates excelled again, holding the Dukes to four shots on-goal.
The weekly conference honor is the first of Rushton’s career and second of the season for WVU. Defender Greer Barnes won the same award last week.
The Mountaineers, unbeaten in their last five matches, return to action with their third straight home match, Thursday, Sept. 18, against Pitt in the BIG EAST opener for both teams. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
This Week in Cross Country
The Mountaineers have a two-week hiatus before the team will race in the Paul Short Invitational held in
Bethlehem, Pa., on Oct. 3. … the race is set to begin at 2 p.m.
Last Week in Cross Country
Redshirt freshman, and Morgantown, W.Va., native Ahna Lewis was the first collegiate runner, and second
overall across the finish line with a time of 21:53.10, in the Old Nassau Run, hosted by Princeton University, on
Saturday, Sept. 13. … the Mountaineers finished in fourth place out of 13 teams, with 129 points.
Alison Spiker came in 22nd (23:03.60) followed by Stephanie Caruso (23:26.70) who finished 27th ... Karly
Hamric was 47th (24:06.40), followed by Brooke Boening at 49th (24:10.80), Jamie Cokely at 110th (26:36.00) and
Erica Arthurs who came in 132nd (28:19.90).
Notes & Quotes
“This was a huge race for Ahna and she has started off the season very well. Today’s result shows the team’s
depth and the depth of the program. It was a very humid day and much warmer than we’ve had back in Morgantown,
so it was good see how we handled the conditions.” - Head Coach Sean Cleary
This Week in Men’s Soccer
The West Virginia University men’s soccer team opens Big East Conference play on Friday, Sept. 19,
against Villanova at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium … kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. … on Sunday, the Mountaineers
play host to conference-foe Rutgers in a noon matchup at home.
Last Week in Men’s Soccer
WVU notched its first win of the young 2008 season Saturday evening against Saint Francis (Pa.) at Dick
Dlesk Soccer Stadium, 1-0, in overtime … junior Ryan Gillespie tallied his first goal of the year just 4:05 into the first
overtime session … Gillespie, who took a pass on the left wing just outside the 18-yard box, sent a high-arching shot
over Red Flash goalkeeper Darius Motazed into the back of the net … the Mountaineers dominated all aspects of
the game, holding a 22-2 advantage in shots, and a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Notes & Quotes
The Mountaineers entered the contest without seven players due to injuries … the win against the Red Flash
pushes the all-time record to 14-3-1, in favor of WVU … sophomore Zach Johnson recorded one save and earned
his 15th career shutout, tying him for fourth all-time with Mark Thienel in the WVU annals for career shutouts …
walk-on newcomer Milo Sanda played 31 minutes in his first match in the Old Gold and Blue … junior Mo Travis and
freshman Alex Silva each registered a game-high five shots in the contest.
“We dominated the game from the first whistle to the last whistle,” Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “We kind of looked like the West Virginia of old for 94 minutes today. We put a lot of pressure on them. We’re growing as
a team. The kids are doing better. They are understanding a lot of the concepts and it’s helping us become a better
team.”
This Week in Women’s Soccer
The Mountaineers return to action with their third straight home match, Thursday, Sept. 18, against Pitt in the Big East opener for both teams … kickoff at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. …WVU closes out
the weekend at home against ACC foe Virginia on Sunday, Sept. 21, at 2 p.m.
Last Week in Women’s Soccer
Senior Amanda Cicchini’s header in the 27th minute propelled 14th-ranked West Virginia past Kentucky, 1-0,
Thursday evening … senior Kelsey Fowler took a free kick and placed a ball in front of the net where the 5-foot-2
Cicchini headed the ball low to the ground, and through the UK goalkeeper’s hands … sophomore Megan Mischler
finished with a career-high six shots on the night … the West Virginia defense was solid again, holding Kentucky
to four shot attempts with Kerri Butler working all 90 minutes in goal, making two saves in her fourth shutout of
the season … 16 different Mountaineers saw action, including career-high minutes played from senior Stephanie
Burgess (39) and redshirt freshman Erica Henderson (51) … WVU played to a 1-1 double overtime draw with James
Madison Sunday afternoon in Morgantown … junior Carolyn Blank notched the game-tying score in the 77th minute
on her second goal of the season, a header with assists from Erica Henderson and Burgess … after a scoreless
opening 45 minutes, the Dukes scored less than a minute into the second half on a goal from forward Cate Tisinger
… James Madison’s goal at 45:54 marked the first time West Virginia had trailed all season long … WVU held a 25-8
shot advantage over JMU and Blank led all players with a career-high eight shots … the double overtime contest was
the third of the season for WVU.
Notes & Quotes
WVU has out-shot its opponent every game this season … both of Blank’s goals this season are the result of
headers … West Virginia’s shutout on Thursday pushed Butler’s career total to 11 … WVU has scored at least one
goal in every game this season … freshman Blake Miller made her first career start against Kentucky … Thursday’s
game with the Wildcats was the first-ever on the Fox Soccer Channel for the Mountaineers.
This Week in Volleyball
The West Virginia University volleyball team (2-6) is set to host the annual WVU Classic on Sept. 19-20, at
the WVU Coliseum ... the Mountaineers first match will be on Friday, Sept. 19, against UNC-Greensboro ... match
time is set for 7:30 p.m. ... other teams competing are Maryland-BC and George Washington.
Last Week in Volleyball
The Mountaineers finished the weekend 0-2, after falling to Marshall in a 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 25-32, 16-25,
9-15) match on Friday, Sept. 12 ... on Sunday, Sept. 14, the Mountaineers were defeated by Youngstown State 3-1
(18-25, 15-25, 25-23, 24-26).
Notes and Quotes
After being named Big East Freshman of the Week, outside hitter Kylie Armbruster once again led
the Mountaineers with 33 kills and 20 digs on the weekend ... junior outside hitter Kristina Gallahan also had a
successful weekend as she finished second in kills with 21 ... senior middle blocker Tammy Wolf followed with 17
kills, while Lisa Hough posted 14 … setter Nicole Jones continued her success with 67 total assists ... sophomore
Bonnie West led the team in digs with 45.
“We just came out too slow against Youngstown,” says Head Coach Veronica Hammersmith. “We finally
picked it up in the third and fourth sets, and almost got to the fifth, but we just waited to long to make our move.”