LEWISBURG -- Two key cogs in the Bucknell men's lacrosse team's run to the NCAA tournament last spring were selected in the Major League Lacrosse draft on Friday night.
Seniors Billy Eisenreich and Charlie Streep were drafted into the eight-team league which begins play in April. Eisenreich, a midfielder from Chatham, N.J., was selected 21st overall by the Ohio Machine. He missed part of last season with a shoulder injury, but returned to finish fourth on the team with 34 points, including 19 goals.
Streep, out of New Canaan, Conn., was Bucknell's second-leading scorer last year, finishing with 28 goals. He was selected 52nd overall by the Long Island Lizards. Streep injured his knee during the fall but could return this spring to the Bison.
Bucknell went 14-3 a year ago before losing in overtime to eventual national champion Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The Bison are ranked 10th in the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll. Coach Frank Fedorjaka's squad opens the season Feb. 11 against Delaware at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
DOWN TO THE WIRE: Showing just how competitive the Patriot League season is going to be in women's basketball, Saturday's four league games were decided by a total 12 points -- none by more than four.
Navy beat Army by a bucket in Annapolis while American edged Holy Cross by three on the road. Bucknell, in its first game without coach Kathy Fedorjaka, fell by four points at Sojka Pavilion while Lehigh beat Colgate in double overtime at Stabler Arena by three.
BIG CHANCE: On Wednesday night the Bucknell men head to Lehigh to continue a brutal stretch of four consecutive league games.
The Bison, who opened Patriot League play with three road games in the first four, visit Stabler Arena to take on the 14-5 Mountain Hawks. Bucknell was picked as the preseason favorite in the league and goes to Bethlehem riding a five-game win streak. Lehigh was picked to finish second in the preseason with junior guard C.J. McCollum earning Preseason Player of the Year honors.
Heading into the game, the Bison are the only remaining unbeaten team in the Patriot League at 3-0. Lafayette, Lehigh, Holy Cross and American are all 2-1. The Bison beat Lafayette on Saturday. They play the next three 2-1 teams in succession, including home games with Holy Cross (Saturday) and American (Jan. 25), before closing the first half at Navy on Jan. 28.
NEW GIG: Roger Geise, a former standout athlete at Mahanoy Joint High School, was recently named the new football coach at Division III Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas.
A member of the Bernie Romanoski Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Geise joined the HPU staff in 2005 as the defensive line coach. He was the defensive coordinator since 2008 before moving to the top job last month.
Geise has more than 35 years of coaching experience, beginning his coaching career in Pennsylvania in the 1970s. A four-year football letterwinner at Lock Haven University, Geise was a graduate assistant at Louisiana State from 1974-76.
RARE ROAD WIN: While Susquehanna's three-point win over a three-win Goucher team on Saturday might have raised some eyebrows because of how tight it was, the victory once again proved SU coach Frank Marcinek's point of how important it is to win at home in the Landmark Conference.
A day after falling at Catholic, the Crusaders held off the pesky Gophers 77-74 to stay in a three-way tie for third place in the conference standings.
But after last weekend's sweep at home against Merchant Marine and Drew, Marcinek said he couldn't really enjoy the victories because you also have to win at home to keep pace with the rest of the league.
Marcinek isn't kidding. Five games into the conference season, road teams are just 3-17 so far in conference play and two of those wins came on Saturday when Susquehanna and Drew both won away from home.
That sets up a big weekend for the Crusaders with first-place Scranton coming to town Friday night, and Moravian, one of the two teams SU is tied with for third, visiting on Saturday afternoon.
