One-on-one with Corey Tynes
I recently had a chance to catch up with junior swingman Corey Tynes (Springfield, Ma) of the UMD men’s basketball team:
Adam Ellis: You were a walk-on, right?
Corey Tynes: Yes.
AE: Talk about making the team as a walk-on and what that meant to you?
CT: I didn’t play in high school so I was happy to make it. I was happy someone was willing to give me a shot and showcase my talents.
AE: And what’s your current role on this team?
CT: 6th, 7th man. Come off the bench and provide a spark; rebounding, defensively.
AE: Switching gears, give us some insight as to what it’s like to play for Coach Baptiste?
CT: He’s going to push you to the limit. But at the same time he has also taught me some valuable life lessons: take responsibility for own mistakes and be a man. Overall, he’s a solid coach.
AE: Most memorable game as a Corsair?
CT: Last year, at Keene State in the LEC. We were down 17 and cut the lead to 2. I was playing on a sprained ankle and the starters were struggling. So I came in and played really well. We lost but I was truly proud of myself and the team.
AE: With three games left before the Little East Championships, what are your expectations as a team?
CT: I expect us to win the Little East Championship and grab a bid for the NCAAs.
AE: What’s more likely to happen first: The Celtics win a game or you guys take the LEC?
CT: I’m telling you, we can really do it this year. I am dead serious.
AE: With two starters graduating this season, it is likely you will be in the starting lineup next year. What will you do in the off-season to prepare for your last season?
CT: I’m going to lift extremely hard. I plan to work on my post game and mid-range jump. I want to come back twice as strong.
Superbowl or Superblow?
So many of us hoped, as well as expected to see that number 12 on the field for a fourth time in six years. However, when number 18 earned the chance to play in Superbowl XLI, disappointment shrouded New England. We would now be watching Peyton Manning instead of Tom Brady on that heavily anticipated Sunday.
Regardless, we all watched the big game anyways, telling ourselves that it was going to be the absolute worst Superbowl ever. Were we wrong? Did we underestimate the game? Not one bit...
Most of us made plans with our closest friends to watch the game, even though we were simply mad about having to watch the Indianapolis Colts play the Chicago Bears. We sat there and watched, and waited, and waited for something exciting to happen. But nothing. Nothing at all. Instead, we witnessed one of the sloppiest and messiest games in Superbowl history.
The rain came down hard, but the Bears began the game with Devin Hester running downfield for 92 yards, giving all Patriots fans hope that the Bears would defeat the Colts. That was about as exciting as the game got. But how could there be much action with six turnovers in the first half? Six! The game started to get annoying to watch, almost painful.
After observing two NFL teams unable to hold onto the ball for long enough, halftime hit. And, oh, how we would much rather see Justin Timberlake pull down Janet Jackson’s top again than Prince dressed to not impress. It may have been raining all day, but did he really feel it would be necessary to sing Purple Rain? Yeah, he sure did. South Florida was not prepared for this one. Some claim he is this huge icon, but Prince was not entertaining to watch, unless you wanted to laugh at his outfits, or mock at him attempting to sing. Good thing Billy Joel sang the National Anthem during the pregame show. Imagine Prince singing the National Anthem... At least Justin and Janet caused some exhilaration during that halftime show! Even if it was not the prettiest sight to see.
Back to the game and all we could wait for were the commercials, which weren’t even the best that they’ve been. But there were some funny ones such as the Doritos commercial.
Manning hit the ground a couple times, but, sadly, he somehow managed to complete the passes. Once the Bears started to catch up to the Colts, behind 22-17 in the fourth quarter, it seemed like there was a slight chance for them to tackle Manning and Coach Dungy to the ground. But no, Kelvin Hayden of the Colts nicely intercepted a pass thrown by Rex Grossman and ran it back 56 yards for their final touchdown.
The game ended with the Colts on top, 29-17. Being their first title since 1970, Peyton Manning won MVP and Tony Dungy won Superbowl Coach. Some people could be proud of him (Dungy, not Manning) for being the first African American coach to go to the Superbowl, but most of us in New England just did not care.
The game was unexciting, showing team members play ineffectively. The game was sloppy with six supposed injuries along with six turnovers. Truthfully, Manning deserved MVP over Grossman that day; but we still would have liked it to be Tom Brady.
WALKING THE PLANK
UMD Goalie honored again
Sophomore goaltender Jeff Green (Medway, MA/Valley Jr. Warriors) of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s hockey team has been honored for his performance last week.
Green has been named Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Northeast Goaltender of the Week. It is the fifth time this season he has been so honored, and second consecutive week he has been named.
Green allowed two goals in two starts last week as the Corsairs defeated Salve Regina, 3-2 and Franklin Pierce, 7-0. He stopped 37 of 39 shots against the Rams, and earned his third shutout of the season by stopping all 11 shots against the Ravens. Green currently leads the league with a 19-2-1 record, a 1.76 goals against average and a .929 save percentage.
UMD Hockey ranked 9th
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s hockey team has dropped one spot in the latest United States College Hockey Online Division III poll.
The Corsairs are ranked ninth this week after being ranked eighth in each of the previous three weeks.
Manhattanville is ranked first in the poll, ahead of St. Norbert and Wisconsin-River Falls. Oswego State and Wisconsin-Stout are fourth and fifth, respectively. Neumann, Wisconsin-Superior and Norwich occupy the next three positions. Bowdoin, Castleton State, Hobart, Middlebury, Geneseo State and Southern Maine fill out the rest of the top 15.
UMass Dartmouth, which is 41-3-1 during its past 45 games, is 20-2-1 overall and 12-1-0 in conference play this season. The Corsairs will return to action when they host Nichols Wednesday evening in the final home game of the regular season.
Corsairs 4th at LEC, 5th at Alliance championships
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MEDFORD, MA-Both of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s track and field teams finished fourth at the Little East Conference Championships and fifth at New England Alliance Track and Field Championships, held at Tufts University’s Gantcher Family Sports and Convocation Center Saturday.
The men were fifth of 10 teams at the Alliance meet with 54 points. Eastern Connecticut State was first with 145 points. In the LEC, ECSU was followed by Southern Maine and Rhode Island College, with Keene State in back of the Corsairs. The women were also fifth of 10 teams in the Alliance and fourth of five teams in the LEC meet. UMass Dartmouth scored 60 points in the women’s meet. Southern Maine was first with 184 points. In the LEC meet, the Huskies were followed by Keene State and Eastern Connecticut, with RIC trailing the Corsairs.
Juniors Katie Malloy (Agawam, MA/Agawam HS) and Chris Jodoin (Uxbridge, MA/Maine) and the men’s 4 x 400 meter relay team turned in record-breaking performances.
Malloy was the conference champion in the high jump, finishing first at five feet, 4 1/2 inches. Her mark broke the school record, and provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Championships. Jodoin (Uxbridge, MA/Maine) was third at 600 meters in 1:25.12, which broke his own school record. The relay team of Jodoin, freshman Michael Boucher (Byfield, MA/Triton Regional HS), junior Sam Machuor (Newbury, MA/Triton Regional HS), senior Brian Vatcher (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham HS) finished fist in 3:26.60 and broke the meet record.
Machuor was second at 400 meters in 51.51 seconds, junior Eric Holmes (Abington, MA/Abington HS) was third at 3000 meters in 8:58.72, junior Leanne Nygaard (Medway, MA/Medway HS) was third at 800 meters in 2:34.57, and freshman Jessica Carpenter (Rutland, MA/Wachusett Regional HS) was third at 1000 meters in 3:16.54. The 4 x 400 meter relay team of Katie Malloy, junior Alicia Malloy (Agawam, MA/Agawam HS), sophomore Lenora Benson (Brockton, MA/Brockton HS), and senior Jennifer Munyon (Berlin, MA/Assabet Valley HS) finished third in 4:27.57.
Sophomore Teresa McGrath (Saugus, MA/Saugus HS) was fourth in the shot put at 35 feet, one inch and fifth in the weight throw at 39-5, sophomore Hilary Baker (Middleboro, MA/Middleboro HS) was fifth in the shot at 34-9 and sixth in the weight throw at 39-4 1/2, sophomore Tyler Buck (Valley Center, CA/Valley Center HS) was fourth at 1000 meters in 2:30.45, Vatcher was fifth in the mile in 4:35.11, freshman Erik Gonzalez (Methuen, MA/Methuen HS) was fifth at 800 meters in 2:02.10, and Benson was fifth in the triple jump at 32-11 1/4 and seventh at 200 meters in 28.51 seconds. Boucher was sixth at 400 meters in 52.10 seconds, and Munyon was sixth in the long jump at 14 feet, 10 inches, and seventh in the 55 meter hurdles in 9.92 seconds.
“Our women did a great job,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Devlyn Lovell. “Katie Malloy had a fantastic jump; it was really good to see that. Everybody stepped up, they all came together and I was happy to see everyone run extremely well. On the men’s side, I was really happy with Eric; he did a great job in the 3000 and had a chance for second. Sam was fantastic in the 400, and the relay team ended up breaking the meet record, which is pretty special as well. All we can ask is for everyone to give us all they can, and they did.”
The Corsairs will return to action when they visit Bates (men) and Southern Maine (women) for the New England Division III Championships next Saturday.
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UMass Dartmouth Men's Swimming and Diving compete against WPI
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Top: Andrew Adams during his 100 meter butterfly race. Bottom: Matthew Fahey doing a back pike during a loss to WPI on Tuesday. |
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Abelard, Macchi too much for Warriors
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Playing in the final regular-season home game of his career, Stephane Abelard collected his third double-double of the season, helping UMD clinch a first round LEC home playoff game with a 70-60 victory over Eastern Connecticut State.
Before the game the Corsairs serenaded seniors Paul Pawlowski, Dave Branca, and Abelard with flowers in honor of their lengthy careers at UMD. Coach Brian Baptiste was also honored with a plaque for his 450th win.
When the ceremonies came to a conclusion, Abelard came out strong, scoring 12 points in the first eight minutes, helping UMD jump out to an early 21-12 lead. The Warriors (12-10) showed their resilience mid-way through the first half charging right back with an 11-0 run of their own, capped by a smooth finger-roll in the lane by senior guard Mike Parker (20 points, 4 assists).
But the Corsairs were not to be outdone. Their defense stymied the Warriors’ point guards continuously forcing turnovers (14 first-half; 24 total). Pawlowski led the charge with a game-high 4 steals.
The second half proved to be the Jeff Macchi-show: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals. He set the tone with his ferocious defense, timely scoring, and pure point guard play. The leadership of the young man kept the Warriors at bay all game long. Again the Warriors tried to rally together but could only bridge the gap to three points, 59-56 with 4 minutes remaining.
Then Macchi hit junior A.J. Tavarez (13 points) with a crisp pass and Tavarez buried a three from the top of the key with 1 second on the shot clock. As the final moments of the game began to expire, seniors Abelard and Pawlowski placed an exclamation point on their night with four free throws.
The win allowed UMD to clinch a first round home playoff game, which will be played, Tuesday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Tripp Athletic Center against an opponent yet to be determined.
Above, Stephane Abelard shooting a free throw late in the 4th quarter. Below, Tyler Turtoro squares up to the hoop verse an opponent from UMass Boston during their win Tuesday night.
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