The EU women’s lacrosse team (EUWL) finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 6-12 and a conference record of 3-3. 2015 marked the first season for head coach Kim Campbell, a former Eastern lacrosse player and assistant coach. Though the Eagles were unable to finish with a winning record, they capitalized on the wins that mattered most. Battling hard in conference play, the Eagles were able to earn a spot in the playoffs, which marked the first time the Eagles made it to the conference tournament since 2012. In the Freedom Conference Semifinals, EU fell to FDU-Florham with a score of 15-3. FDU eventually went on to win the MAC Freedom Conference. Following the 2015 season, The Eagles graduated two seniors, defenders Ariana Borreggine and Rachelle Lehman.

In April 2015, several EUWL players were recognized by the MAC Freedom Conference. Borreggine, as well as Anna Charlebois, were given First-Team honors. Borreggine also went on to be recognized as an All-Region player by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association. Julie Haggan and Cortney Andes were named to the Freedom Second-Team, and Stephanie Hogan earned Honorable Mention.

Key returners on the offense for the Eagles include Charlebois, Haggan, and Hogan. Last season Charlebois led the Eagles in scoring with 58 goals and 13 assists overall. Haggan followed up with 38 goals and Hogan made up for another 24. Andes will also be returning as goalie. Andes accumulated 152 saves in 2015. On the defensive end, key returners include senior Megan Petza and junior Eva Ehrhardt. On the small roster, the Eagles have picked up three freshmen, including Hannah Stoner, Summer Stoltzfus, and Kaitlyn Lester.

On Wed., Feb. 24, the Eagles will kick off their season against Albright College in Reading, PA. Unable to beat the Lions in both 2014 and 2015, the Eagles are ready to come out strong in their season opener.

Eastern University’s men’s basketball started their season on Nov. 14 with a home game against Rosemont College. The Eagles fell to the Rosemont Ravens with a score of 78-68. Last season, they beat the Ravens by just one point, and so the season opening loss was especially disappointing. Despite the loss, the Eagles were able to show great potential. Junior Shaquan Turk put up 18 points for the Eagles, including a 3-pointer. Turk also led the team in rebounds, collecting 9 for the night. Many of the freshmen made collegiate debuts, including Abraham Kurnick who bucketed 12 points. Senior Malcolm Garrison followed closely behind with 11 points for the night.

In the second game of the season, the Eagles were able to turn things around with an exciting win against Cabrini College in the ‘Battle of Eagle Road.’ On Nov. 17, with just a few seconds left in the game, Garrison nailed a long 3-pointer to snatch the lead from the Cavaliers, putting the Eagles ahead by just one point with a score of 86-85. Cabrini quickly called a timeout to formulate a last ditch attempt to win the game, but the Eagles were able to hold them off until time expired. In the packed gym, EU fans erupted in excitement and stormed the court to celebrate with the team. Head Coach Eric McNelley earned his first win with the Eagles with this hard-fought battle over Cabrini. Garrison struggled earlier in the night, going scoreless until the last 9 minutes when he put away three 3-pointers for a total of 9 points. Though Garrison well-deservedly stole the glory that night, Turk led the Eagles in scoring with 25 points in total while junior Austin Carroll accounted for 10 of the Eagles’ points. Turk also collected 9 rebounds for the night, and freshman Victor Peña added another 8. This win against Cabrini marked the first time EU has claimed victory over the Cavaliers in over 7 seasons.

In the Coaches vs. Cancer Tipoff at Geneva College, EU matched up against Geneva on Friday, November 20 and earned a 96-73 victory over the Golden Tornadoes. The Eagles were easily able to handle Geneva, as Turk scored 18 points, followed by Kurnick with 15 and Garrison with 12. In the rebounding column, Kurnick racked up 9, Turk had 7, and freshman point guard Anthony Fernandez had 6.

On November 21, in the second game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tipoff, the Eagles secured another significant victory against Grove City College with a score of 74-57. Garrison led the Eagles with 23 points. Former Eagle Caleb Knudsen of Grove City scored 9 points to lead GC in scoring, alongside teammates Joe Vermilya and Cory Huff. EU Guards Carroll and Anthony Concepcion both had 4 assists, along with Turk.

The Eagles have a streak of three conference games in the near future, starting with Wilkes University on Dec. 2.

On November 14 the Eagles Women’s Basketball team started off their season with a win against Rosemont College at home. Junior forward Emily Lavin put up impressive figures, finishing the game with 25 points, 23 rebounds, and 8 blocks. Sophomore Taylor Price put up 17 points and 5 assists, while freshman Reggie Robinson scored 15 points in her first collegiate game. With this victory, Eric Houston earned his first win as Head Coach of the Eagles. While the Eagles lost several key players from last season, the new squad proved that they could hold their own. Houston made some big adjustments to accommodate this team’s style of play, and each individual proved that she could fill her role.

On November 17, they earned their second win of the season against Cabrini College. The Eagles were able to maintain a lead for the majority of the time and set the tone for the entire game. Robinson stood out once again as she scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for the Eagles. Price finished the game with 14 points and 6 boards, while Lavin ended with 12 points and 8 boards. Junior point guard Emily McPeak kept the Eagles composed during the second half whenever the Cavaliers started gaining momentum. The Eagles played with the perfect balance of tenacity and control to secure the win.

At the Kean Classic tournament in Union, New Jersey, the Eagles went 1-1 for the weekend, starting with a loss against the University of Texas at Dallas on Friday, Nov. 20. The Eagles were short just 5 points in their first loss of the season, finishing the game with a final score of 67-62. Once again, Robinson led the team with 20 points, followed by Price with 17 and Lavin with 12. Lavin made up for 9 of the team’s 10 blocks and led the team in assists, serving out 6 in total. In the loss, the Eagles gave up 32 turnovers, compared to only 17 turnovers by the Comets.

The very next day, however, the Eagle’s were able pick up a win in the Kean Classic against the College of Staten Island. Lavin put up a season high of 33 points against the Dolphins. Sophomore Taylor Azer scored her first double-digit points of the season with a total of 17, while Robinson and Price added 17 and 13, respectively. McPeak dished out 9 assists to lift the Eagles, followed by price with 7. The Eagles accounted for 23 turnovers, while the Dolphins only gave up 6.

The Eagles are off to a strong start this season with only one loss in their first three games. Though the Eagles only have 3 upperclassmen—1 senior and 2 juniors—they have quickly adjusted to a new team dynamic. In December, the Eagles will begin conference play with matchups against Wilkes University on Dec. 2 and Delaware Valley University on Dec. 5.

With Christmas creeping closer, my crafty side is starting to show, and I’ve turned to Pinterest for inspiration. DIY projects make the promise that you can create anything from gourmet meatballs to mosaic birdbaths all on your own, but these fancy projects are hardly ever friendly for a tight budget. For a single Pinterest project, I can easily drop $40 at Michael’s on supplies. For this Christmas craft, brought to you by yours truly, I searched for a craft that would cost the least amount of money possible, made from materials accessible to the typical college student. In other words, I did what college students do best: scrapping in order to survive. To make the newspaper Christmas tree, you will need…

•1 large piece of cardboard (like an Amazon box or an old trifold)

•Any type of paper (newspaper, sheet music, wrapping paper, pages from your chemistry textbook)

•Tape (transparent is ideal, but duct tape works)

•A sticky substance (glue, tape, gum)

•Scissors

First, you will need to obtain a piece of large cardboard. Mine was found in the recycling closet on the third floor of Sparrowk (I like to think of this as the more hygienic version of dumpster diving). You will need to cut the cardboard into about 25 individual squares, each one increasingly smaller than the one before. My largest square was about 5” x 5” while the smallest was just under 1” x 1”. By no means do these squares need to be measured or cut exactly. After all the squares have been cut, they will need to be wrapped in paper of your choice. I chose everyone’s favorite newspaper (The Waltonian), and wrapped each square exactly as I would wrap a Christmas present, with tape and all. (Side note: Wrapping so many squares is good practice for Christmas morning, when you’ll be wrapping all the gifts you neglected to package earlier.)

After each square has been wrapped, stack the squares on top of one another from largest to smallest. The biggest square will serve as the base of the tree. Apply the sticky substance to the base and stick the next square on top. Rather than stacking the squares neatly into little pyramid, try turning them in different positions for a staggered effect. Continue stacking the squares in descending order with adhesive in between. If you have done so successively, your product will look like a Christmas tree! Hooray! For the finale, I topped my tree a gold star from a bag of old Sunday School supplies that my mom donated to me. With this finishing touch, there’s no confusing my tree with a newspaper mountain.

That’s all there is to it, folks! Merry Christmas and happy crafting!

When I first watched Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” music video, I was absolutely wonderstruck (in reference to Swift’s 2011 fragrance of the same name). Swift is a downright beaut for all three minutes and 54 seconds of the video, eliciting both admiration and envy from me and my less-than-glamorous life. With short, dark brown curls and a classic red lip, Swift is reminiscent of a young Elizabeth Taylor. She plays an actress in the 1950s who falls deeply in love with her insanely hunky co-star, Scott Eastwood, while filming in an undisclosed location in Africa. Bright blue waterfalls spill off of rocky ledges, and giraffes graze to their hearts’ content. When the couple returns to the States for the red carpet premiere, Swift finds Eastwood lip-locked with another woman—his wife—evoking the typical Swift response of emotional turmoil with a matching expression of despair. As cheesy and melodramatic as the video may be, I still find myself watching it on YouTube at least every other day. Why? Because it’s so dang enchanting.

Yet so many people saw an entirely different story told in this short video—something that I hadn’t seen the first, second, or even 20th time I watched it. Others saw a film reeking of white colonialism and an inexcusable misrepresentation of African lands. Quite honestly, through my privileged eyes, I hadn’t noticed any of this. It wasn’t until I read the criticism and watched the video through a new lens that I was able to see the glaring flaws. While it’s clear that the video is set in Africa (where much of the filming was done), the overwhelming majority of the cast is white. In a few shots, if you squint your eyes and lean forward so that your face is about two inches from the screen, two black African men can be seen strolling in the background. Other than that, the video focuses on a white actress and her white co-star with his white wife and a bunch of other white people. In Africa. Ugh.

Viviane Rutabingwa and James Kassaga Arinaitwe of NPR write, “We are shocked to think that in 2015, Taylor Swift, her record label and her video production group would think it was OK to film a video that presents a glamorous version of the white colonial fantasy of Africa.” In response to such criticism, the video’s director, Joseph Kahn, released a statement: “This is not a video about colonialism but a love story on the set of a period film crew in Africa, 1950….We collectively decided it would have been historically inaccurate to load the crew with more black actors as the video would have been accused of rewriting history.” While I love Swift and am eager to jump to her defense, I have to admit that critics like Rutabingwa and Arinaitwe raise a good point. Romanticizing Africa and excluding the African people was careless and irresponsible. While I agree with Kahn that adding black actors to the fictional camera crew portrayed in the film would have been historically inaccurate, I do think Swift’s production crew had the responsibility to incorporate African people into the video by showing glimpses of their lives, even if just for a few seconds.

While Swift’s video is set in the 1950s, we must remember that we don’t live in the ‘50s any more. As an affluent white American with great influence on Western culture, Swift should have realized that by setting her music video in Africa, she was taking on the African burden. She had the responsibility to shine light on their culture and to allow their stories to be told. Instead, the video just washes over the entire continent of Africa and portrays it as a fantasy land where the animals roam and the white people come to play. As aesthetically pleasing as it may be, it’s both negligent and tasteless. But then again, maybe a place like this only exists in your wildest dreams.

Source: NPR

“Work hard, stay humble”—these are the first words you read when you walk into Coach Houston’s office. This short, simple phrase, spelled out on a small, handmade sign with letters clipped from a magazine, perfectly captures how Eric Houston worked his way up to become the new head coach of the Eastern Women’s Basketball Team.

Eastern University has been a part of Houston’s life since 2002, when he transferred to the school as an undergraduate student. He grew up nearby in West Philadelphia, where he played basketball as a kid. He did not learn to play basketball on a shiny, wood floor or at a five-star clinic; he merely picked it up on the playgrounds in West Philly. “You learn so many things about the game of basketball on the playground,” Houston recalls with a smile, “just about being tougher and being a competitor. I wouldn’t change it for the world, and I think it was awesome for me to grow up in that environment.”

It was not until his junior year at Overbrook High School that Houston joined the school’s basketball team, and even then, he only played on the junior varsity team. His senior year he was part of the varsity team, but still Houston was not satisfied. “I was good, but not good enough,” he says. The game of basketball was booming in the ‘90s during Houston’s high school career. The popularity of the sport made it difficult to stand out, and even harder still to be recruited by a college coach. These circumstances, as well as poor grades, led Houston to take a year off after high school and figure out what he wanted to do.

“I was a lost kid,” he admits, although he shows no sign of disappointment or regret. Houston looks at every moment of his life as an opportunity, and his year off after high school was only preparing him for the rest of his life. Houston comes from humble beginnings, and there is nothing about it he takes for granted.

Houston was eventually recruited by West Virginia State University, a NCAA Division II school, where he struggled as a student-athlete with poor grades. He told his mom that he wanted to transfer to a school back home, and she gave him an ultimatum: get your grades up, and then you can come home. “It’s amazing what you can do with that kind of motivation,” Houston remarks. His mother’s love pushed him to focus on his school work, and eventually he found himself transferring to Eastern University.

At Eastern, Houston played three years of collegiate basketball. He admits that when he transferred, he didn’t know EU was a Christian school until he stepped foot on the campus. “I think that was the Lord saying, ‘Here’s a place for you, buddy. You’ll do great here.’”

A few years later, Houston graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education, which enabled him to teach early childhood-aged kids for nine years. In addition to teaching, Houston was an assistant coach for the EU men’s basketball team for four years, and then assisted the women’s team for another five years. Houston’s time as an assistant coach for Eastern’s women’s basketball marked their most successful five-year span as a team. During the 2014-2015 season, they earned a national ranking and made it to the NCAA tournament.

Following that successful season, former head coach Nate Davis accepted a head coaching position at Gettysburg College, leaving a vacant position that Houston accepted with gratitude, humility, and excitement. In June of 2015, EU Athletics announced that Houston would serve as head coach of the Eastern women’s basketball team. Houston’s promotion from assistant to head coach allows EUWB to develop without the obstacle of getting to know an entirely new coach. “I know all the players,” he says, “I recruited half the team.”

In fact, Houston’s very first recruit as an assistant coach was Tori Grossi, the Eagles’ only senior this season. Houston recruited Grossi while she was still playing high school ball, and she has been a part of the EUWB program since 2012. “When I recruited her,” Houston remembers, “I saw this kid that just had a lot of energy. From watching her then and seeing where she is now, it’s like night and day. She’s out right now with an ACL injury from last season, but she’s making so much progress. She’s like the missing piece to our puzzle.”

Houston says that his favorite part about the game is just watching players develop as individuals. “From freshman to senior year, I love watching them grow as adults. I like watching them do things on the court that they have never done before, or taking things more seriously in the classroom.” Houston stresses that he wants the best for his players both on and off the court.

On Sat., Nov. 14, EUWB will play their first game of the season at home against Rosemont College, and Houston will be making his debut as head coach. His strategy for the season is to tackle one game at a time. He reminds his players that there is no reason to look ahead or worry about another team because the future is out of their control. The only thing they can control is how they play. Houston wants his team to prepare to the best of their ability.

With the utmost honesty, Houston reflects, “I never thought that I’d go to Eastern University and graduate. I never thought I’d come to Eastern and play basketball for three years and be successful at it. I never thought that I’d be an assistant coach. I never thought that I would help a team get to a national ranking and make it to the NCAA tournament. I never thought I’d be promoted to head coach. With all that being said, I haven’t done anything. It was all God’s work. I’m just going to do what He asks me to do. I’m just going to be humble and make sure that these ladies are successful on and off the court.”

The Eastern Cross Country teams have worked hard this fall to compete well in several meets.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with scoring in cross country, allow me to take a moment to explain. Basically, a race is comprised of individual runners from many different schools, representing their teams. When an individual crosses the finish line, their finishing place is marked on a score sheet. After the race, the scorekeeper adds the places of the first five finishers per team. For example, if individuals on a team finish in 1st, 4th, 5th, 13th, and 20th, the team’s score would equal 43. The team with the lowest score wins the meet. These specific scoring tactics may differ for specific meets, but you get the gist. With that in mind…

The first meet of the season took place on Sat., Sept. 5 at Lebanon Valley College. The Eagles Women’s Cross Country team placed 3rd in the meet while the Men’s team placed 4th. A week later, the teams ran in the Mustang Stampede at Stevenson University, both finishing in 3rd. In the women’s 6k race, freshman Kierra Zack led the Eagles, finishing in 15th with a time of 23:33. Also a freshman, Samantha Snyder finished in 22nd (2nd for the Eagles) with a personal best of 24:35. In the men’s 8k race, senior Aaron Reed finished first for the Eagles with a time of 28:37. Sophomore Clayton Bender finished second for the team with a time of 29:17.

The next meet took place on Sept. 26 at Dickinson College. Differing from other races, this meet includes two separate races for each team: a 8k and 4k for them men and a 6k and 4k for the women. At this Long/Short Invitational, the final score is totaled from the top three finishers from each team for each race. In the women’s 6k race, Zack once again finished first for the Eagles with a time of 23:44. Less than a minute later, senior Adrienne Borelli finished second for EU. In the 4k race, sophomore Taylor Smucker finished first, followed by senior Jenna Evangelista. In the men’s 8k, Reed placed first the the Eagles with a time of 28:09. and Bender placed second for EU with a time of 28:31. In the 4k, freshman Justin Nikles finished first, followed by sophomore Jon Thomas.

On Oct. 17, Eastern Eagles competed in the Rowan Interregional Border Battle at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. In the 6k race, Eastern Women finished in 18th with an average time of 23:55. In the men’s 8k race, the Eagles finished in 22nd with an average time of 27:57.

The Eagles will begin compete in post-season meets at the end of the month.

On a rainy Friday evening in Wayne, my sweet friend Caroline and I decided to get off campus for a short while and indulge in some French cuisine. Located at 11 Louella Ct., we found the Crêperie Béchamel tucked away on a quiet street that branches off from the busyness of Lancaster Ave. Since it was after 6 p.m., we were able to park right outside the restaurant without having to pay at the parking kiosk. Huddled together under an umbrella meant for a child, Caroline and I ran into the crêperie and charged through the single door. No more than 10 little tables filled the small restaurant, but the size of the dining area only added to its dainty element. The very moment we walked through the door, the cashier/waitress/chef/superwoman named Jennifer cheerfully shouted, “I’ll be with you ladies in a minute!”

Crêperie Béchamel was established in June 2012 by Jennifer and Patrick Yasaitis. The couple’s first date was at a crêperie, and their love for cooking and food led them to open a restaurant of their own. The Yasaiti duo runs the whole gig — from taking orders and cooking, to all the tedious work behind the scenes. If you walk into the crêperie on any given day, you’ll find the Yasaitis up to their elbows in crêpes with the friendliest of smiles etched on their faces.

At the crêperie, customers seat themselves and order over the counter, Panera-style. Caroline found a seat close to the window looking out on Louella Ct. After taking time to sift through the menu, Caroline chose a chicken, honey, and sweet potato crêpe from the “Specials” menu scribbled on the chalkboard that day. I, on the other hand, opted for a breakfast crêpe loaded with bacon, egg, and cheese.

While Caroline and I both chose items filled with meaty goodness, there are plenty of vegetarian options. There are also gluten-free dishes, and accommodations will be made for any other allergies upon request. The possibilities for crêpes are seemingly endless, as customers have the ability to create their own dish using any of the ingredients. The assortment of beverages, on the other hand, are fairly limited. They offer bottled drinks, coffee, hot tea, or apple cider. I chose the hot tea while Caroline picked cold apple cider (which was definitely the better choice).

At a restaurant with so few employees, Caroline and I anticipated a long wait. We were pleasantly surprised when, after about 10 minutes, Jennifer called, “Caroline! Shelly!” signaling that our food was waiting for us at the counter. There is no greater satisfaction than seeing your precious food finally arrive. Jennifer was our hero.

The crêpes were warm — the perfect temperature to eat right away. I used the side of my fork to cut off a little piece, and it sliced right through the thin pocket of breakfast goodies. It was love at first bite. I looked across the table at Caroline to see her reaction, and she was equally pleased.

We initially thought that crêpes would not offer much sustenance, but we were pleasingly filled by our individual orders. Still, we wanted to try a sweet crêpe and agreed to split dessert. As two Nutella fanatics, we ordered one with Nutella and strawberry filling. Jennifer kindly cut our crêpe in half and served it on two separate plates. Each half was sprinkled with powdered sugar, making it the perfect subject of an Instagram post. We fell deeply in love with our chocolatey crêpe; it was soft and warm, giving the Nutella the perfect gooeyness. I probably could have eaten six of them.

After the meal, Caroline and I discussed our overall dining experience. Out of 5 stars, Caroline gave it a 4.5, her only issue being that the crêpes ran on the pricey side. I gave the restaurant a 4 because of the prices and the limited beverages. Caroline paid $10 for her chicken crêpe while I paid about $7 for my breakfast crêpe. The Nutella and strawberry dessert was only $5.

Our evening at the crêperie was fun and enjoyable. I would highly recommend the crêperie for anyone looking to try something new in a cute, quiet nook of Wayne.

The EU Field Hockey team started the season with a record of 8-1, which also marked an 8-game winning streak. With overall record of 10-4 and a conference record of 4-1, the Eagles are tied for first place in the MAC Freedom Conference with FDU-Florham, their only conference loss. The Eagles will complete their scheduled conference games in the upcoming week and will presumably continue on to tournament play.

As of Oct. 21, the NCAA has ranked Eastern at #3 in the South Atlantic Regional Rankings. The Eagles are also ranked #19 nationally by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) as they broke into the top 20 on Oct. 6.

With only three freshmen, the Eagles have a solid group of returners and hasvebeen able to build on their experience playing together. Offensively, junior Jessica Kinzler leads the Eagles in scoring with a total of 6 goals thus far. Kinzler has also racked up a total of three game-winning goals. Sophomore Gina Miller and senior Danielle Frasca have five goals each, and Miller leads the team in assists with a total of four.

Sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Berger has a total of 95 saves this season, with a 0.798 save percentage. Against approximately 206 shots faced, the Eagles have only allowed 26 goals. Berger has had two shut-outs this season, including one against Stockton University on Sept. 5 and another against Misericordia on Oct. 3. Berger has earned MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week twice this season—once on Sept. 21 and again on Oct. 17.

The Eagles’ most significant loss came on Oct. 6  against then-undefeated College of New Jersey, who was ranked #1 by the NFHCA (they have since been bumped to #2). This game ended the Eagle’s 8-game winning streak and was the first time this season that the Eagles had gone scoreless. Following the loss, EU was able to come back and win a conference game against King’s College with a score of 3-2. Though unable to string a series of consecutive wins since then, the Eagles have proven resilient by following each loss with at least one win. In other words, EUFH has not had a losing streak of more than a single game.

On Oct. 31 the Eagles will play their last regular season game at 1 p.m. against Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa. Arcadia has an overall record of 6-10 with losses against both DeSales and Alvernia, both of which lost to the Eagles earlier this season. The Eagles should be able to end their regular season with a victory and transition smoothly into playoffs.

Visit goeasterneagles.com for more information on EUFH post-season play.

In their usual fashion, the Eagles Volleyball team is off to a phenomenal start with an overall record of 16-3. Of the Eagles’ three losses, the most recent came from Juniata College, ranked #1 in the Division III National Poll. Despite the loss, the Eagles were able to win the third set with a score of 25-22 and avoid the sweep. On Sept. 29, the NCAA updated the national rankings, moving the Eagles up to #10 in the national poll. Eastern is the only team in the MAC Freedom Conference to be ranked nationally. Freshman Michelle Paulsen is the only individual EU player with a nationally-ranking statistic. As of Sept. 27, Paulsen is tied for #7 in blocks per set, averaging 1.25.

While national rankings are certainly something to be proud of, the Eagles’ first goal is to clinch the MAC Freedom Conference. The Eagles have won all of their conference matches this season, claiming victories against Delaware Valley University on Sept. 16 (3-0), King’s College on Sept. 22 (3-0), and DeSales University on Sept. 30 (3-0). Eastern will have two conference matches in the next couple of weeks, including Manhattanville College on Oct. 6 and FDU-Florham on Oct. 14.

Individually, Junior Stephanie Elechko currently leads the team in kills, with a total of 191 and averaging 3.13 per set. Elechko also leads in total attempts (TA) with 508 so far this season, followed by junior Alicia Weigel with 406 and senior Erin Hillman with 359. Defensively, junior libero Rylie Haas has a total of 310 digs, averaging 4.63 per set. In the blocking columns, freshman Michelle Paulsen leads with 13 solo blocks and 62 assisted blocks. Following closely behind are senior Kaitlyn Gochenaur with 12 solo blocks and sophomore Morgan Shemonski with 42 assisted blocks.

The Eagles have shown great tenacity this season in their ability to come back from tough losses. This resilient attitude will work in the Eagles’ favor as they prepare for the rest of the season. Be sure to come out and support the Eagles Volleyball Team at home on Oct. 23-24 in the Eastern Quad-Match.

“I just want to do my job well,” Emily Cole says with a self-assured smile. As the leading scorer of Eastern Women’s Soccer, that job, of course, is to lead her team to victory. With the most level-headed confidence, Cole knows that she dominates the scoring column and yet refuses to let the statistics affect her demeanor. “I know my role on the team is to get goals and work hard on offense,” she says, “I feel that pressure each game to get that goal and get a win. That’s what’s expected and that’s what I practice and work toward. It’s a good pressure.” With a total of 10 goals in the first 7 games, Cole accounts for exactly half of her team’s total goals, so it’s safe to say she handles her job well.

Back in 2013, Cole’s first year with the Eagles, she pocketed just 4 goals the entire season—which was still enough to lead the team. In 2014, Cole finished the season with 7 goals, leading the scoring column once again. The fact that Cole is leading her team in goals in 2015 is certainly no surprise, but the way she maintains her composure and encourages her teammates is where she truly shines as a leader.

Junior forward Cole has the perfect combination of raw talent, hard work, and absolute love for the game. Cole began playing soccer at the age of 6 in her hometown of Winfield, PA. In a family like Cole’s, it was inevitable for her to inherit the “soccer genes.” With two older siblings already playing soccer, it was only natural for little Emily to follow suit. Later on, Cole’s two younger brothers would start playing as well, completing the Cole family soccer network. Cole played four years of soccer at Lewisburg Area High School where she served as team captain during her junior and senior years. As a junior, Cole was named a second team all-star for the Pennsylvania Heartland Athletic Conference; as a senior, she was dubbed a first-team all-star. While her high school accolades are certainly something to be proud of, Cole knew she wasn’t stopping there. She says that collegiate soccer had always been part of her plan, and Eastern University was the perfect fit to make that dream her reality. For Cole, Eastern provides everything she wants out of college: the opportunity to play soccer, a beautiful campus, and an academic environment that incorporates faith into learning. While being a soccer superstar is certainly a plus, Cole says her favorite part about Eastern is her classes. She is currently double majoring in Political Science and Spanish, and plans to study in Seville, Spain, in the spring of 2016. But for now, Cole still has over half a season of soccer to take on.

“Our team has been doing really well,” she reflects. “We’ve come a long way since I first started here. We’ve started playing as a team, and our work in the off-season has gotten better. We have good team unity and I’m excited for the rest of the season.”

Source: newsitem.com/sports

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