Men’s Soccer Standings*
1) Duquesne
2) Saint Joseph’s
3) Saint Bonaventure
4) GW, URI, Xavier (tie)
Saint Bonaventure is the only A-10 team with an NSCAA/ Adidas top 25 ranking, ranked 12th in its first-ever appearance. The Bonnies (4-2) finished under .500 (6-12) last season, but with returning senior midfielders Daryn Keddell and John Phoumanny leading a talented freshmen class, the Bonnies will be a contender come November. The Colonials travel to Saint Bonaventure next week for their first meeting.
Duquesne (5-0-2) is the only undefeated team in the A-10 and will be tough competition for the Colonials. The Dukes are ranked sixth in this week’s NSCAA/Adidas Middle Atlantic Regional rankings, their highest in the program’s seven-year history. Fifth-year coach Wade Jean’s squad is off to its best start in school history. During their seven-game winning streak Duquesne has won the Bowling Green and Colgate Invitationals. The Colonials travel to Duquesne Oct. 6 for their only meeting of the season.
-Alan Siegel
Women’s Soccer Standings
1) Rhode Island
2) Dayton
3) Duquesne
4) Fordham
5) GW
The GW women’s soccer team (3-4) should expect another challenging season this year. Dayton (6-1), which won the A-10 Tournament last year for the third time since 1996, will be without last year’s All-Conference team members Megan McKnight and Bridget Bushman. But the Flyers return many talented veterans, including 2001 A-10 Defensive Player of the Year Erin Showalter and Rookie of the Year Tesia Kozlowski. With 2001 A-10 Coach of the Year Mike Tucker at the helm, Dayton can also expect its newcomers to develop quickly.
St. Bonaventure (6-2) will also be a major contender along with Rhode Island (5-2-1), which is currently ranked third in the Soccer Buzz/Northeast Regional rankings.
-Audrey Green
Volleyball Standings
1) Temple
2) Dayton
3) Duquesne
4) Fordham
5) GW
The A-10 team to beat this season is the defending regular season champion Dayton Flyers (11-3). The Flyers went 14-2 in conference play en route to the regular season title last season and return one of their three all-conference players from last year, Kelly Scott. Dayton also returns Christie Utnage, a member of last year’s A-10 All-Rookie Team. The Flyers have won 11 of their last 12 matches entering conference play this weekend and are riding a six-game winning streak. They open conference play against Duquesne on Friday.
Defending conference champion Xavier lost two All-Conference players from last year, including A-10 Player of the Year, Sara Bachus. But the Musketeers (8-5) do return with All-Conference player Katey Wygant, a senior middle blocker as well as A-10 Setter and Rookie of the year, Molly Martin. Xavier dropped their first four matches this season before winning eight straight. Like GW, Xavier dropped a match earlier in the season to Eastern Washington University. The Colonials square off with Xavier on Friday and Dayton on Saturday in Ohio. GW hosts the Flyers and Musketeers in late October.
-Stephen Bernard
Cross Country Standings
Men
1) La Salle
2) St. Joseph’s
3) Duquesne
4) Massachusetts
5) GW
Women
La Salle
URI
Richmond
St. Joseph’s
Dayton
The toughest A-10 competition for both the men and women’s cross country teams this season will be from La Salle, coached by Charles Torpey, who coached the men to their first A-10 title in 1999. The defending A-10 champion Explorers are strengthening every year and will be the Colonials’ biggest challenge when they reach the A-10 tournament this November.
Junior Ryan Fennelly of La Salle could rank atop all A-10 competitors this season after coming in second overall against Princeton Sept. 14 and being named A-10 Athlete of the Week. La Salle women’s runner, senior Sheila Klick came in second overall at the Princeton Invitational and was named Athlete of the Week Sept. 16.
The La Salle men return five All-Conference runners from last year’s squad while the Explorer women return four All-Conference team members.
Other teams with returning conference champions to look out for include the St. Joseph’s men and Rhode Island women.
-Heather Struck
*all standings based on pre-
conference winning percentages
