The No. 10-ranked Pitt women’s lacrosse team improved to 3-1 on the season with a… The No. 10-ranked Pitt women’s lacrosse team improved to 3-1 on the season with a doubleheader wins Sunday over Kenyon, 7-2, and Ohio-Wesleyan, 10-7. Becky Krinsky led the way offensively for the Panthers, scoring seven goals over the weekend. Jill Colita wasn’t far behind, scoring six goals in the two games.

“Jill and I work really well together,” Krinsky said. “But it’s a team effort to rack up points like that.”

In the first game against Kenyon, Pitt started off slow, falling behind 1-0 before scoring seven of the next eight goals. Krinsky scored three goals and Colita had two goals in the victory. Tracey Eisen also had a goal, and Carly DiPompeo had seven saves in net for the Panthers.

In the second game, against OWU, both teams started strong, playing even for the first half. For the second straight game, Pitt began to dominate in the second half, this time behind four-goal, one-assist efforts from both Krinsky and Colita. Molly Suda also added a goal and an assist in the victory.

“We are a slow-starting team that picks it up in the second half,” Krinsky said. “We play real physical, and most teams don’t like that.”

Pitt will take part in this weekend’s Cactus Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Panthers will be facing three opponents they have never faced before. Pitt will take on No. 14 Arizona State Friday, Arizona on Saturday and No. 24 Colorado on Sunday.

“I heard all these teams are really good that we are going to play,” Krinsky said. “We are hoping we can play with the best of them.”

— Brian Goldman, Staff Writer

Men’s D-III hockey prepares for postseason appearance

The Panthers’ men’s Division III ice hockey team will compete against the Edinboro Fighting Scots on Friday night at 9 p.m. at Island Sports Center on Neville Island.

Pitt (6-12) clinched a playoff berth with its 6-3 win over Penn State-Altoona last Friday night. The last time Pitt and Edinboro met, the Panthers lost in overtime.

“They have a couple of good offensive players,” general manager Andy Mecs said, recalling the overtime loss. Pitt, too, has some good players on the offensive side. Freshman Zach Cain has stepped into a starting role and led the team in goals, with 11.

“He makes things happen,” Mecs said. “He came in immediately and has been a real force.”

Also tallying points for Pitt during the season was junior forward Ty Heller. He finished the regular season with seven goals and 18 assists. Both players notched a goal and an assist in the game against Penn State-Altoona.

The only question mark for Friday’s game is: who will be starting in net for Pitt? Freshman goaltender Colin McCloskey started most of the season, but has been out lately because of illness. McCloskey played in 12 games and went 4-8, with a goals-against average of 5.872.

Freshman goaltender Brian Chaya stepped in to replace McCloskey and recorded his first win against Penn State-Altoona. Chaya allowed three early goals, but stopped every shot that followed. He stopped 18-of-21 shots in the game.

The decision on who will get the start in net will be made at game time and will be based on McCloskey’s health, according to Mecs.

Tickets are $3 at the door with student ID. For ticket information, e-mail [email protected].

— Jimmy Johnson, Staff Writer

Frisbee team finishes second in first action of spring

Frisbees are flying through the Cost Center at late-night practices as the men’s ultimate Frisbee team gears up for its spring semester schedule.

In its first meet, the team traveled to Clemson for the Joint Summit Classic Feb. 7 and 8.

“It was an unqualified success for us,” said team President Ben Ristau.

The Panthers hurled the Frisbees effectively through high winds and finished perfect in Saturday’s pool play, defeating Berry, 9-8, Radford, 10-6, Virginia Tech, 12-3 and Georgia, 9-1.

Sunday, Pitt faced Berry, a team they defeated by a combined three points in their last two meetings, in the pre-quarter match.

“They were fired up to get another crack at us,” said Ristau.

Pitt broke an 8-8 tie at halftime to win 13-10 and advance to the quarterfinals against Rutgers.

Pitt star sophomore Brent Bellinger went down in the first half, and Pitt could not overcome a 7-2 halftime deficit as Rutgers eliminated Pitt, 13-6.

Ristau said that the team, which includes 12 rookies, gained a lot of experience and that the performance bodes well for the rest of the year.

— Nate Berger, Staff Writer

Season getting under way for crew team

When the alarm rings at 5 a.m., Pitt’s crew team wakes up to begin its day. The team’s practice begins at 5:45 a.m. four or five days a week — along with an evening practice on Wednesdays — where the team spends time on a rowing machine, doing squats and running 120 flights of stairs, starting at the bottom floor of the Cathedral of Learning, up to about the 30th.

“I’ve played almost every popular sport, and no sport’s practice has ever had the difficulty or intensity of crew,” said freshman rower William Powers. “On top of that, the 5:30 a.m. time for it doesn’t make it any easier.”

The team’s last event was the Pittsburgh Indoor Rowing Championships, hosted by the Three Rivers Rowing Association. In the event, Pitt crew produced multiple winners who brought home gold, silver and bronze medals, and the team finished first overall.

“As a team, we pulled well,” Powers added. “Many people pulled for a personal record, and others even medaled. I think what everyone cared about the most, though, wasn’t the overall win, just that we beat Penn State.”

So far this year, Pitt’s crew team has had numerous wins at water regattas and looks forward to having a successful 2004 season.

— Alan Smodic, Staff Writer