INSIDE

CALIFORNIA UNIVERSIT Y
Academy Awards Nominees PAGE 6&7
Gates named MVP

PAGE 10

Cal U eliminates Mercyhurst PAGE 11
Get to know your Vulcans

PAGE 12

CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

VOL. 32, NO. 4

Dr. Tebbitt travels to Bolivia in search of begonias

By Lisa Pfaff
Staff Writer

California University professor, Dr. Mark Tebbitt, spent the
majority of his winter break doing something rather unique…
researching and studying plants
in the country of Bolivia.
Dr. Tebbitt visited two major
regions in Bolivia - the Ambora
National Park and Vallegrande,
which are about one-hundred
miles apart.
“I looked at plants 24/7 for
not quite three weeks,” Dr. Tebbitt said.
Even though much of his
time was spent searching for
begonias, Dr. Tebbitt was able
to enjoy the beautiful landscape
of the Andes Mountains and its
other wildlife. In Amboro National park alone, there are more
than 800 species of birds and
over 125 species of mammals.
Some of these mammals include
jaguars, pumas, anteaters, and
seven species of primates. The
park is also thought to have
more butterfly species than
anywhere on the planet.
“If you like toads, this is the
place for you. There are over
50 species of toads in this park
alone,” Dr. Tebbitt said during
his recent presentation to University students.
Throughout his travels, Dr.
Tebbit encountered 20 different
kinds of begonias.
“I was surprised at how poorly known the begonias of Bolivia
were. I expected to find some
new species, but not as many as
I did,” Dr. Tebbitt said.
During his venture, he dis-

Dr. Mark Tebbitt conducts biological field research in the pristine Ambora National Park, while on his trip to Bolivia to study begonias.

covered five species that were
new to science. He also discovered three new hybrid begonia
species. These hybrids are the
natural offspring of two different begonia species that have
got together in the wild.
Throughout his trip, Dr. Tebbitt took around 1,500 photographs, most of which recorded
new scientific data. He also
collected several begonia specimens so that other scientists can
study them.

In some instances throughout
his travels, Dr. Tebbitt was able
to interact with local people in
Bolivia.
“I really enjoyed talking to
the local people, they were very
friendly and knowledgeable of
the local plants,” Dr. Tebbitt
said.
His travel expenses were covered by a research grant from
the American Begonia Society,
who plans to help him fund
similar projects in the future. He

is currently planning to conduct
a similar trip to Peru in May of
2013.
When I asked Dr. Tebbit what
his most memorable part of the
trip was, he replied:
“Towards the end of my trip
I looked over a new mountain
chain that we had yet to travel
through, these mountains seemingly rolled on forever, and
I knew there are many new
species still waiting there to be
discovered…Bolivia was fas-

cinating and it was definitely
somewhere I would love to
return to,” Dr. Tebbitt said.

DON’T MISS

“THE BEATLES”

A Multimedia Pop
Culture Presentation.

Wed. 2-29 @7PM
Natali Performance
Center

Mr. Boyer goes to Washington
By Lucie Fremeau
For The Cal Times

Joshua Boyer lived and
breathed political science during his internship with mCapitol, a lobbying firm that is located only one block from the
White House in Washington,
D.C. Boyer is a political science
major with a pre-law concentration who obtained his internship through The Washington
Center.
“I loved everything about

the program,” Boyer said. “My
internship afforded me the opportunity to meet with many officials and see how my political
science degree is actually used.
I learned a lot about the political
system from Cal U, and it was
great to be able to apply that
knowledge.”
Boyer’s main duties at mCapitol included calling federal
agencies and political contacts
to set up meetings for clients,
accommodating clients upon
arrival to the office, daily news

briefs, and attending meetings
between clients and federal officials.
In addition to interning at
mCapitol, Boyer attended political science classes through The
Washington Center that were
relevant to his major. Boyer’s
class was partnered with CSpan and was even broadcasted
on-air.
“My class was based around
the road to the White House,”
Boyer said. “We were able to
interview officials ranging from

Trent Lott to President Carter.”
Boyer learned about The
Washington Center ’s internship program through Dr. Blumberg, who recommended that
he apply. Once he applied to
The Washington Center, they
helped find an internship that fit
Boyer’s major and career goals.
“This internship has profoundly changed my life,” Boyer
said. “It has given me the confidence to converse with public
officials. It also taught me how
to operate in the business world,

which is an opportunity that is
not often afforded to college students. The experiences that I had
during my time in Washington
will stay with me for the rest of
my life and shape who I am.”
Boyer encourages students to
take advantage of opportunities
like his and enjoy every experience that is offered.

F O R N E W S , S CO R E S , A N D V IDEO ON DEMAND, VISIT THE C AL TIMES NEW S SITE ON-LINE - WWW.C ALTIMES.ORG

CAL TIMES

PAGE 2

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

“The Vow” leaves viewers unsatisfied
By Tyler Kimmel
For the Cal Times

It was 12:45 p.m. I wanted to
leave by 12:30 p.m. at the latest
to ensure that we’d get there
on time and get good seats.
However my girlfriend, Connie,
took longer than expected to
get ready. I really didn’t think
we could get to Greensburg for
the 1:25 p.m. showing of “The
Vow”.
I’m sure there were many
guys in my situation on Valentine’s Day weekend. Their
girlfriends wanted their significant others to take them to see
the new romance movie, “The
Vow,” that was in theaters for
the Valentine’s holiday.
However, I didn’t put up a
fight about going to see the film
like many guys probably did. I
actually wanted to see the movie. It starred Rachel McAdams
who was in one of my top 20
movies ever, “The Notebook,”
and Channing Tatum, who was
in “Dear John,” another decent
romance movie, as her co-star.

To top it all off, the song that’s
in the trailer for the movie is by
Taylor Swift (my favorite artist).
So for me, the movie showed
a lot of promise: a strong cast,
and an entertaining trailer that
had us sold. We planned to go
see the movie about a month
before, so we were excited and
had high expectations.
We got to the theater on time
and were in our seats when the
previews began rolling. The
theater was pretty crowded for
1:00 p.m. on a Friday afternoon,
mainly with elderly couples.
The previews finished, and the
feature presentation was under
way.
About halfway through the
movie, Connie turned to me and
said she didn’t like it so far. I was
thinking the same thing. I found
myself being bored, and day
dreaming about the Primanti
Bros food I would soon eat. I
wasn’t ready to throw in the
towel on the movie, hoping the
story line would soon pick up.
It never did. I was uninterested the entire 104 minutes the
film was on the screen. Nothing

happened. There was nothing
that shocked me, wowed me, or
excited me a little bit. The movie
just puttered along.
In the film, the couple (McAdams and Tatum) is married
for four years. They are in a car
accident and Paige (McAdams)
loses the last five years of her
memory. Leo (Tatum) has to try
to get his wife to fall back in love
with him. I liked the plot, but I
felt like they told the wrong part
of their story. The ending also
seemed abrupt and left me with
many unanswered questions.
If I had to give “The Vow” a
rating, I’d give it a four out of
ten. That may sound harsh, but
rottentomatoes.com gives the
film a 28 percent. Clearly I was
not the only unsatisfied viewer.
Here is my advice to guys for
next Valentine’s Day, skip out on
the romantic movie that is sure
to come out that weekend. It will
probably bore the both of you,
and be a waste of your money.
Instead, (try to) make your girlfriend dinner at home and sit
down and watch a classic love
story with her, “The Notebook.”

Photo courtesy of: thevow-movie.com
Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum star in this romantic movie, about
Adams losing her memory and Tatum trying to regain her love.

Soak up some knowledge this summer!
California University of Pennsylvania’s
summer college makes it easy for you
to earn extra credits or pick up that class
you need. With classes offered online
or in a variety of live sessions from May
to August, you may choose the courses
that fit your summer schedule.
Visiting students are always welcome at
Cal U’s Summer College. To apply online,
visit www.calu.edu.
Registration now open.
Special Session Classes will be held in
May, June, and July
FIVE-WEEK SESSIONS
JUNE 11 – JULY 14 & JULY 16 – AUGUST 18
TEN-WEEK SESSIONS
JUNE 11 – AUGUST 18
For a complete listing of classes, visit
www.calu.edu, or e-mail summer@calu.edu.
For a printed copy of the schedule, call
724-938-5962.

Scale Bashing

In honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, the Women’s Center
will be hosting the 3rd annual “Scale Bashing” event. Students are invited
to free themselves from their scales on Tuesday, February 28th from 11:0012:30 p.m. in the Carter Hall Multi-Purpose Room. For more information
contact the Women’s Center at 724-938-5857, womenscenter@calu.edu or
stop by G45 Carter Hall.

Times Staff
CALTIMES.ORG
CALTIMES@CALU.EDU
724-938-4321

JESSICA ZOMBEK....................................................EDITOR IN CHIEF
JOSHUA LASKA.....................................SPORTS/MANAGING EDITOR
BRIAN PROVANCE.....................AD MANAGER/GRADUATE ASSISTANT
LISA PFAFF.................................................................STAFF WRITER
NOAH GRUSKIN.........................................................STAFF WRITER
JOSHUA LASKA............................................WEBSITE COORDINATOR
JEFF HELSEL..........................................DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS

CAL TIMES CONTRIBUTORS:
LUCIE FREMEAU
LISA PFAFF

TYLER KIMMEL

LEVIE KIRKLAND

POLICY: The California TIMES is published in the Monongahela Valley area most Fridays of the academic year, with the exception of holiday breaks • Any member of the university community may submit articles, editorials, cartoons,
photographs or drawings for consideration • Deadlines are as follows: All written copy, announcements, e-mail (caltimes@calu.edu), and advertising submissions are due at noon on the Monday before publication. Exceptions to these
deadlines must be arranged with the editor. All submissions are the opinions of their creator(s). •The California TIMES reserves the right to edit or refuse submissions as it sees fit, without offering justification for content or advertising
sections.

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

PAGE 3

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PAGE 4

CAL TIMES

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

PAGE 5

Vulcan Theater Weekend Show: Immortals
Now showing Friday and Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

By Justin Carlo

Cal Times Film Critic

Justin’s Rating: 2.5 stars
“Immortals” is a computergenerated imagery film (CGI),
packed mess of a movie, with
a pretty interesting story line. It
is a visually beautiful film from
costumes and the landscape,
to the buildings and even the
characters themselves are all
something to look at. However,
most of the movie is confusing
and inaccurate.
“Immortals” tells the story
of Theseus (Henry Cavill), a
peasant who has been secretly
chosen by the god Zeus (Luke
Evans) to protect Greece from
the evil King Hyperion (Mickey
Rourke). Hyperion has been destroying and killing everything
in his path to find the Epirus
Bow, a remarkable weapon that
holds the power to release the
imprisoned Titans that have
been held captive under Mount
Tartaros for eons since losing
the mythic battle against the
gods. The virgin oracle Phaedra
(Frieda Pinto) is Hyperion’s
key to finding the Epirus Bow,
although she joins in the fight
with Theseus to conquer this
tyrant.
The movie has almost as much
CGI as “Avatar,” which not only
causes for some amazing imagery, but also some very confusing scenes. Battles are fought
almost entirely on the edge of
towering cliffs and mountains

Photo courtesy of: immortalsmovie.com
From the makers of 300 comes this movie about a peasant who was chosen by
Zeus to protect Greece.

in where…Greece? These battle
scenes have so many characters
and deaths involved it’s hard
to keep up with who’s fighting
whom and who is dying or not.

Major characters come in and
out of the story without any
relevance and many die without
any real acknowledgment.
The inaccuracies that I men-

tioned are hardly even noticeable, such as multiple imprisoned characters biting down on
what looks to be rebar, which
I’m sure was not invented at the
time back then. Little things like
that add to the confusion. Even
though you are probably not
going to be completely sure of
what is happening throughout
most of this movie, you have to
take it for what it is.
The fight sequences are intense and very well performed
on the cast’s part. Frieda Pinto
and Isabel Lucas, who plays
Athena, are gorgeous. John Hurt
plays the “Old Man”, very wise
and very much like someone
John Hurt would play, which
isn’t a bad thing. The same goes
for Mickey Rourke, the evil bad
guy role that just as much as
you hate him, he’s still kind of
awesome. And Henry Cavill, it’s
great to see him in this intense
action role as we prepare to see
him as the newest Superman in
the highly anticipated “Man of
Steel”.
Directed by Tarsem Singh,
who is known for being very
visual, this movie is basically
“Percy Jackson” on steroids.
Greek mythology movies are
always interesting to me, so if
you are a fan, I suggest seeing
this one. The movie wasn’t all
that bad. If you can get past the
confusion, and don’t see it in 3D,
you will enjoy it.

Entertainment
Wrap-up
In Theaters

Act of Valor
Gone
Wanderlust

DVDs

Weeds: Season 7
Wwe: Epic Journey Of Dwayne The Rock
Johnson

Music

Fun.: Some Nights
Sleigh Bells: Reign of Terror
The Chieftains: Voice of Ages

Video Games

Syndicate
Asura’s Wrath

CAL TIMES

PAGE 6

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

The 84th Annual Academy Award Nominees

Tune into ABC Sunday, February 26, 7 p.m. to watch your favorite actor, actress, and movies win their Oscars.

BEST PICTURE
• “The Artist”
• “The Descendants”
• “Extremely Loud &
Incredibly Close”
• “The Help”
• “Hugo”
• “Midnight in Paris”
• “Moneyball”
• “The Tree of Life”
• “War Horse”

ACTOR IN A
LEADING ROLE
• Demian Bichir in
“A Better Life”
• George Clooney in
“The Descendants”
• Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”
• Gary Oldman in
“Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy”

• Brad Pitt in“Moneyball”

ACTRESS IN A
LEADING ROLE
• Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”
• Viola Davis in “The Help”
• Meryl Streep in
“The Iron Lady”
• Rooney Mara in

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

• Michelle Williams in
“A Week With Marilyn”

Photo Courtesy of oscar.go.com

ENTERTAINMENT

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

ACTOR IN A
SUPPORTING ROLE
• Kenneth Branagh in
“My Week with Marilyn”
• Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”
• Nick Nolte in “Warrior”
• Christopher Plummer in
“Beginners”

PAGE 7

ACTRESS IN A
SUPPORTING ROLE
• Berenice Bejo in “The Artist”
• Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
• Melissa McCarthy in
“Bridesmaids”
• Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”

• Octavia Spencer in “The Help”

• Max Von Sydow  in

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

ANIMATED FEATURE
FILM
• “A Cat in Paris”
• “Chico and Rita”
• “Kung Fu Panda 2”

• “Puss in Boots”
• “Rango”

Photo Courtesy of oscar.go.com

Tell us your favorites! Take
the CalTimes Oscars poll:
www.caltimes.org

www.facebook.com/cal.times

Watch the Oscars on
Sunday, February 26, on
ABC to see who wins.
Photo Courtesy of oscar.go.com

PAGE 8

CAL TIMES

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

CORNER

Organizations

PAGE 9

BSU

By Levie Kirkland

Hey everyone! Just a reminder the BSU formal is
on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in the performance
center there will be mock tails serve at 6 p.m.. Be
sure to check out the BSU wall by the Gold Rush
for Black History Month events going on we are
looking for everyone to attend them. Our meetings are every Thursday at 5:15 p.m. in Carter
Hall Multipurpose Room. Everyone is welcome.
Answer these questions. 1. Who was the first African American to space flight? 2. Douglas Wilder became the first
black governor of which state? 3.Who is Gary Morgan? 4.Who is
instrumental in the invention of the PC? 5. Where did Martin Luther King, Jr. deliver I have a dream speech? Remember this quote,
“I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be
respected as such, regardless of their color.”~Malcolm X

The Internship Corner
By Lucie Fremeau

Resources to help you find your dream internship!
It’s time for you to start looking for an internship, but where do
you start? There are plenty of resources available to you right at
your fingertips and on campus that will help you find the perfect
internship for your future career goals.
First, visit the Internship Center, which is located on the second
floor of Eberly. The Internship Center will schedule an appointment for you to meet with Karen Primm, director of the Internship
Center, in order to discuss goals, possible opportunities, and the
internship process.
Then, you will make a profile on InternLink, an on-line database
with plenty of current internships. You may search internships by
location, major, keyword, organization, and more. There is something for everyone on InternLink, so create your profile today at
www.myinterfase.com/cup/student.
If you’re interested in a company or position but can’t find it on
InternLink, visit the Regional Internship Center’s website at www.
TheRegionalInternshipCenter.org. The Regional Internship Center
works with organizations in southwestern Pennsylvania to create
opportunities for students and has a large database of internships.
The website also has cover letter, resume, and interview tips.
If social media is more your thing, follow the Internship Center on
Twitter (@InternCtr_CalU) and “like” Cal U’s Internship Center on
Facebook! New internship opportunities, job and internship fairs,
upcoming deadlines, and other internship events are posted daily.
Join Cal U’s Internship Center group on LinkedIn for even more
information on upcoming career fairs and internship opportunities.
The Internship Center is here to help you, so don’t hesitate to
call, visit, tweet, or e-mail them with any questions.
Twitter: @InternCtr_CalU
Facebook and LinkedIn: Cal U’s Internship Center
E-mail: internctr@calu.edu
Phone: 724-938-1578

Visit the Cal Times online at:
caltimes.org

Classifieds

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Washington, PA
(724) 223-0939
(888) 549-6763

To place an ad in the Cal Times
please contact us at:
caltimes@calu.edu
or
(724) 938-4321

Check out Career Services’ Career Advantage Corner each week to find out about hot jobs,
upcoming on-campus recruiting, job fairs, and much more!
MAY GRADUATES – It’s time to get started on your job search!
Use Career Services and increase your chances on finding a job!
Results from NACE’s 2010 Student Survey show the likelihood of getting a job offer increased
with the frequency of career center use, so students who used the career center four or more times
a semester were more likely to have job offers than those who used it once a semester.
Career Services offers the following job search help:
RESUME ASSISTANCE
The Red Book
An online guide to Resumes, Cover Letters, Portfolios, and Interviewing Skills
Resume Advice
A Career Services staff member would be happy to help students create a professional resume.
Students can schedule an appointment with Career Services; take advantage of our student walkin hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm; or email your resume to our office
at careers@calu.edu
INTERVIEW ASSISTANCE
Mock Interviews
Practice your interviewing skill in a videotaped mock interview. You will receive feedback and
guidance regarding effective interviewing skills.
Interview Stream
Practice interviewing anytime, anywhere with any webcam, any MAC, any PC.
Just follow these three easy steps.
1. Create you account in seconds at http://calu.interviewstream.com
Pick your interview set or create your own interview from +1500 questions.
2. The video interviewer will ask you one question and the webcam begins recording. Click
the mouse to stop
recording then you can review, retry or continue.
3. Watch your interview. Click a question to view your response. Review the interview with
your Career
Advisor. Count your “umms” and “likes” or email the link to others.
JOB SEARCH ASSISTANCE
Job Postings
Register with College Central Network (CCN) Cal U’s job/resume posting website at www.
collegecentral.com/calu to view job postings and post your resume for employers to view. Visit
the Career Services website for more links to job postings.
Job Search Planning
Career Services staff is available to help you develop a job search strategy.
On-Campus Interviews
Employers recruit on campus for full-time, part-time, and seasonal positions. See the schedule
on our website for specific employers and dates.
February 27th, 2012
10:00am – 2:00pm
Majors: All

Vector Marketing
Information Table – Natali Student Center
Position: Sales Representatives
Class standing: ALL and alumni

Career Services
230 Eberly Science and Technology Center
724-938-4413 careers@calu.edu 						
www.calu.edu.careers

See News happening?

Call the Cal Times 724-928-4321

CAL TIMES

PAGE 10

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Gates named MVP, Cal U finishes third
By Sports Information
For the Cal Times

Senior Melissa Gates (Leola,
Pa./Conestoga Valley) was
named the Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference (PSAC)
Championships MVP on Sunday evening after winning a
combined five titles (three individual, two relay) over four
days and helping the California
University of Pennsylvania
swimming team equal its program-best by finishing third in
the team standings.
Gates broke the all-time PSAC
Championships record in the
100 freestyle by claiming the
league title with a NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 49.73,
which was nine nine-hundreths
of a second faster than the
previous record set in 2009
(Jackie Borkowski, West Chester). The 5-9 senior also broke
the overall league record set in
2010 (Borkowski) by four-hundredths of a second, while shattering her own school record set
last year by over two-tenths of
a second. Gates, who set the alltime PSAC Championships and
overall PSAC record in the 50
freestyle on Friday, posted the
fastest time in the finals of the
100 freestyle by 1.72 seconds.
A five-time All-American, she
is the first swimmer in school
history to win three individual
PSAC titles in a season.
The Vulcans also captured
their second relay title in school
history – both this year – on
Sunday evening by winning
the 400 freestyle relay with a
PSAC Championships record

time. Gates, freshman Alyssa
Novotny (West Mifflin, Pa./
West Mifflin), sophomore Jess
Machmer (Canton, Pa./Canton) and sophomore Clarissa
Enslin (Dalview, South Africa/
St. Andrews School for Girls)
combined to touch the wall in
a NCAA automatic-qualifying
time of 3 minutes, 25.52 seconds,
winning the event by over four
seconds. The relay eclipsed the
previous PSAC Championships
record set in 2009 by over fourtenths of a second, while breaking the school record set earlier
this year by over two seconds.
One of four Cal U swimmers
to place in the 100 freestyle,
Enslin earned All-PSAC honors
in the event after finishing third
with a NCAA ‘B’ time of 51.46
seconds. Machmer placed sixth
in the 100 freestyle with a time
of 52.76 seconds, which also
reaches the NCAA ‘B’ qualifying mark, and Novotny finished
16th overall after touching the
wall in 54.26 seconds.
Sophomore Kate Mellon
(Queensland, Australia/Mansfield State) scored in the 1650
freestyle for the second-straight
year, posting a NCAA ‘B’ time
of 17:27.68 to finish fifth. Classmate Heather Bureau (Latrobe,
Pa./Greater Latrobe) placed
16th overall in the 1650 freestyle on Sunday with a time of
17:54.59.
Junior Bruna Carvalho (Belem,
Brazil/Milton Campos) finished
sixth in the 200 butterfly with a
time of 2:09.02, which reaches
the NCAA ‘B’ standard. Fellow
junior Caitlyn Sirkoch (New
Kensington, Pa./Plum) placed
15th overall in the 200 breast-

Photo by: Joshua Laska
Senior swimmer Melissa Gates set a PSAC record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 49.73 seconds. This time is an
NCAA automatic-qualifying time, and broke the time of Jackie Borkowski (West Chester) by nine nine-hundreths of a
second, which was set in 2009.

stroke after touching the wall
in 2:28.64.
Cal U featured of pair of
swimmers that placed in the
200 backstroke in junior Megan
Schuh (Spokane, Wash./Moses
Lake) and sophomore Brianna
Sieck (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg). Schuh posted a NCAA

‘B’ time of 2:07.65 to finish ninth
overall and Sieck placed 13th
with a time of 2:10.37.
The Vulcans finished third
in the team standings for the
third time in the last four years
after previously never finishing
above sixth. West Chester captured its sixth-straight confer-

ence title by totaling 684 points,
while Clarion (441) and Cal U
(412) placed second and third,
respectively.
Cal U concludes the season
when it competes at the NCAA
Championships from March 1417 in Mansfield, Texas.

Vulcans one game away from clinching a spot in the PSAC Tournament
By Joshua Laska

Sports/Managing Editor
The California men’s basketball team finished the week
with one win and one loss. They
suffered a 57-51 loss at Slippery
Rock followed on Saturday
with a 61-57 victory over Mercyhurst. The Vulcans are now
15-11 on the season and 12-8 in
the PSAC, the Vulcans now site
in fourth place. With a victory
over Clarion on Wednesday the
Vulcans will clinch a position
in the PSAC Tournament set to
begin next Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Against Slippery Rock senior
forward Steve Swiech led the
way with 19 points. Senior
guard Freddy Appiah added
16 points in the victory. Junior
guard Travon Vann and junior forward Mitchell Weedon
added six and four points.
Junior forward/guard Quentin
Harding, senior guard Chad
Tipton, senior guard CJ Townes
and freshman forward Jeremy
Posey finished with two, two,

one and one points, respectively
to round out the scoring.
Vann dished four assists to
lead the way for the Vulcans.
Appiah, Townes and Posey all
added one assist in the loss.
Swiech brought down nine rebounds to lead the way (three
offensive). Posey brought down
an addition eight rebounds (one
offensive). Vann and Posey was
able to pull away two steals,
while Appiah, Townes and
Weedon added one steal each.
The freshmen, Posey lead the
way with 14 points in the victory
over Mercyhurst. Right behind
Posey was Weedon with 12
points. Freshman guard Tynell
Fortune added nine points including one big three pointer
in the second half to silence
the crowd. Vann and Townes
added eight and six points,
respectively.
Harding, Vann and Townes all
lead the way dishing out three
assists. Vann and Harding were
able to steal the ball twice from
the Lakers. Appiah knocked the

Photo by: Joshua Laska
Freshman forward Jeremy Posey (35) came off the bench and lead the way for the Vulcans with 14 points in the victory
over Mercyhurst.

only ball out of the air. Weedon
brought down seven assists (one
offensive). While, Posey brought
down six (one offensive) and
Vann brought down five (two

offensive).
The Vulcans returned to action on Wednesday against
Clarion but that game ended to
late for press time. They then

travel to Edinboro tomorrow to
take on the Fighting Scots at 3
p.m. A recap of both games will
be available in next week’s edition of the Cal Times.

SPORTS

PAGE 11

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Cal U eliminates Mercyhurst’s chance of PSAC glory
By Joshua Laska

Sports/Managing Editor
The Vulcans women’s basketball team posted two wins last
week and are on a four game
winning streak. They started
the week with a 72-64 victory
over Slippery Rock followed on
Saturday by a 65-60 win over
Mercyhurst. The Vulcans are
now 16-8 on the season and 13-7
in the PSAC. With the victory
over Mercyhurst the Vulcans
clinched a place in the PSAC
Tournament that starts Tuesday,
Feb. 28. The Vulcans still have a
chance to move up to third place
in the standings, if they do not
they will take on Edinboro on
Feb. 28.
In the victory over Slippery
Rock, senior forward Amy Johns
led the way with 21 points.
Senior guard Danielle Luckett
added 13 points and junior forward Nakia DeBlanc came off
the bench to added 11 points.
Starters sophomore guard Ryah
Gadson, freshman guard Emma
Mahady and freshman forward
Irina Kukolj added eight, six,
and five points, respectively.
Freshman guard Chelsea McKnight also came off the bench
and added seven points to
round out the Vulcan top scorers
at Slippery Rock.
Johns came away with six
steals followed by Luckett with
three. McKnight was the only
Vulcans to block a Rock shot in
the victory. Luckett and freshman forward Selena Adamshick

Photo by: Joshua Laska
Freshman Selena Adamshick (40) came of the bench against Mercyhurst, and finished with 12 points to help lead the Vulcans to victory. With those 12 points,
Adamshick has 114 points on the season, which puts her fourth in scoring behind Johns, Luckett and McKnight, respectively.

where the only two Vulcans to
dish out two assists. Luckett
came down with six rebounds
(two offensive) while, Adamshick and Mahady added four
and three (three offensive and
one offensive, respectively).
Johns again led the way in the
victory over Mercyhurst this
time with 22 points. Starters
Luckett, Gadson, Mahady and
Kukolj combined for 31 points
(10, nine, six and two, respec-

tively). Adamshick came off the
bench to finish second in points
with 12 in 26 minutes on the
floor. DeBlanc and McKnight
both added two points off the
bench as well to round out the
Vulcan scoring.
Against Mercyhurst, Luckett
dished out eight assists to lead
the way. Seebohm and Gadson
both added two assists while,
Johns and McKnight both added
one assist each. Sophomore for-

ward Elena Antonenko swatted
away two balls to lead the way,
followed by Mahady and Adamshick who each added one
block. Adamshick brought in
four steals while, Mahady and
Luckett both captured three
steals in the victory. Followed
by Gadson, Johns and Seebohm
who each had two steals. Johns
led the way with eight rebounds
(six offensive), Adamshick and
Antonenko each added four

assists (three offensive and two
offensive, respectively).
The Vulcans returned to action on Wednesday against
Clarion but that game ended to
late for press time. They then
travel to Edinboro tomorrow to
take on the Fighting Scots at 1
p.m. A recap of both games will
be available in next week’s edition of the Cal Times.

Vulcans qualify five and four new entries at Kent State
By Sports Information
For the Cal Times

Senior Samantha Valiton
(Schellsburg, Pa./Chestnut
Ridge) posted top-15 finishes in the 200- and 400-meter dashes on Saturday at
the Kent State Tune-Up, as
the California University of
Pennsylvania women’s track
& field team qualified five
new entries for next weekend’s Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference (PSAC)
Championships.
Valiton qualified for the
league championships in the
400 meters over the weekend
after crossing the finish line
in 1 minute, 0.81 seconds to
place 11th overall. She also
finished eighth in the 200 meters at Kent State by posting a
time of 26.64 seconds.
Sophomore Bria Jay (Plum,
Pa./Plum) recorded a pair of
season-best times on Saturday. After posting a time of
8.06 seconds in the preliminaries, she placed 14th in the
finals of the 60-meter dash
with a time of 8.05 seconds.
Running the 400 meters for
the first time in her collegiate
career, Jay qualified for the
PSAC Championships after

crossing the finish line in 1:00.82.
In the 1-mile run, senior Laurie Hall (Jackson, Pa. /Blue
Ridge) finished fourth overall in
a field of nearly 40 runners with
a season-best time of 5:13.99.
Freshman Allison Hall (Jackson, Pa./Blue Ridge), Laurie’s
younger sister, qualified for the
PSAC Championships in the 1
mile on Saturday after rounding the track in 5:21.97 to finish
13th overall.
Sophomore Courtnee Whitaker (Stafford, Va./Mountain
View) placed sixth in the finals
of the 60-meter hurdles at Kent
State with a time of 9.09 seconds.
Freshman Sarah Cook (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler) qualified
for the league championships
in the 60 hurdles after posting a
time of 9.83 seconds during the
preliminaries.
In the 60 meters, sophomore
Monique Sims (Pittsburgh,
Pa./Schenley) placed third
in the finals, and tops among
non-NCAA Division I sprinters, with a time of 7.78 seconds.
Junior Breeanna Robinson (East
Hampstead, N.H./Pinkerton
Academy), an All-PSAC West
First-Team forward in soccer,
reached the league qualifying
mark in the 60 meters after
crossing the finish line in 8.30

seconds.
Sophomore Sierra Rogers
(Port Tobacco, Md./Maurice J.
McDonough) finished fourth in
the triple jump with a mark of
10.75 meters (35-3.25 feet).
Cal U, who has qualified a
school-record 50 individual
entries for the league championships, returns to action on Feb.
25-26 at the PSAC Championships hosted by Edinboro, Pa.
The Vulcans qualified four
new entries for next weekend’s
Pennsylvania State Athletic
Conference (PSAC) Championships on Saturday at the Kent
State Tune-Up.
Sophomore Nick Gibson
(Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and senior Alex Smith
(South Park, Pa./South Park)
both qualified for the league
championships in the 800-meter
run while running the event for
only the second time this season.
Gibson placed 12th overall with
a time of 1 minute, 55.38 seconds, which ranks as the fifthfastest time in the league this
year, while Smith crossed the
finish line in a time of 1:58.87.
Senior Chris Wolfe (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) finished
fifth overall in the 800 meters in
a field of nearly 70 runners after
posting a time of 1:53.80.

PAGE 12

SPORTS

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Get to know your Vulcans: Danielle Luckett

#1 guard for the California Vulcan women’s basketball team
Interviewed/Layout by Joshua Laska
Sports/Managing Editor

What was it like getting your first start as a freshman?

That moment was pretty overwhelming for me. It felt great!
But at the same time, nerve wrecking because I was playing with
great players, all who were older than me and I just wanted to
make them proud and do well.

What was it like scoring your first bucket at the college level?

That was an amazing feeling. It was a major feeling of accomplishment and relief. You just feel like, “Ok, maybe I can
do this. Let’s get some more!”

Going back how hard was it to adjust to the college
level of play?

It was pretty difficult at the beginning because it is so much
harder than high school ball, but the upper class men really
looked out for the younger players and kept us positive so I was
able to adjust well, thanks to them.

What was the hardest thing to learn at the college
level?

The hardest thing for me was to learn that nothing is given, it is
earned. In high school, everything was easy for me, but in college,
you have to put in the extra work to succeed. The only way you
are going to get something is if you work and earn it and take it!

What was it like playing in the Elite Eight of the NCAA
your freshman year?

That was the best feeling in my entire basketball career. I really
can’t explain it. You were treated like royalty, there are cameras
everywhere, private planes. It was amazing. As a freshman to
play on a team that was so successful is about all one can ask for.
It made me so proud to be a Vulcan. It showed me what I am
really playing for, and what is expected!
Photo by: Joshua Laska

LUCKETT’S BASKETBALL STATS FOR THE VULCANS

57 Games Started, 104 Games Played, 779 Career Points, 159 Steals, 226 Assists

What has it been like playing in the NCAA tournament
all three years of your career at Cal?

It is a great feeling. There are high expectations but that only
makes you better. It causes you to develop a sense of pride in
just about everything you do.

How do you stay “in the game” during the offseason?

I work out....and then I work out some more lol. I have close
friends who also play college ball so we work very hard to push
each other and keep each other motivated.

What originally got you into basketball?

My older brother. He was always good and I always looked up
to him, so if he was doing it, then I wanted to do it!
How many years have you played basketball?
Um just about 16 years. I have played since I was able to
bounce a ball.
What is one interesting fact that not everyone would know
about you?
I write poetry. No one really knows that, but it like my favorite
thing to do...other than play basketball lol
Where are you from and where did you go to High School?
My family and I are from Chicago, and then we moved to
Maryland. I went to James Hubert Blake High School, which
is in Maryland.
What do you plan on doing after college?
I’m really not sure yet. I would love a job in marketing at a big
company but that will take time. I’m also considering playing
over seas but I am not sure yet.
What is your favorite tv show?
Hands down, The Office. The best show on television...well it
was when Steve Carrell was on it.

Who are your favorite sports teams?

The Chicago Bulls, the Chicago Bears, the Chicago White Sox
and the Chicago Blackhawks!

What is your favorite food?
Sweet potatoes!

What is your favorite movie?
Photo by: Joshua Laska

Finding Nemo
Do you have a favorite quote?
“I have failed over and over in my life....and that is why I succeed.” Michael Jordan