Welcome to Huskies On The Horizon, a weekly update where we will provide a brief recap of last week's sporting events and preview the week ahead so you can follow along with your favorite Bloomsburg University athletic teams!

The men's basketball team is coming off a three-game week that was highlighted by a 17-comeback win at Kutztown on Wednesday.

The team's 86-78 victory at Kutztown secured the team's first win of the season, and it snapped a 20-year drought against the Golden Bears inside Keystone Arena. 

Bloomsburg trailed by as much as 17 points in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup, but a sharp-shooting second half that was led by sophomore Matt Bengel helped the Huskies edge the Golden Bears.

Bloomsburg's 86 points, 33 made field goals and nine made three pointers were all season highs. Bengel matched his career-high in points with 25 on an 11-for-18 shooting night. The sophomore added eight rebounds and three steals to his stat sheet.
 
Jake Nelson (West Chester, Pa./West Chester Rustin) had double-double, recording a season-high 14 rebounds and scoring 12 points. All five of Bloomsburg's starters finished in double figures as Louie Wild (Philadelphia, PA/Roman Catholic) finished with 18, Ash Kemble (Myerstown, Pa./Fork Union Military Academy) had 14, and Desmond Freeman (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) scored 12. The five starters combined for 81 of the team's 86 points.

Bloomsburg won the rebounding category, 39-32, and shot an even 50% (33-for-66) from the floor. From three-point range, the Huskies were 9-for-21 (42.9%) and had four players knock down a pair of triples throughout the game.
 
For Lock Haven, Samec scored a team-high 23 points and Jalen Bryant finished with 19. Robert Tucker was the only other player in double figures, finishing with 10 points in 14 minutes off the bench.

The men's basketball team fell in their other two matchups last week to Mansfield and West Chester, but the Huskies will look to get back on track with a pair of games this week. First, the squad hosts Lock Haven on Wednesday before traveling to Millersville on Saturday. 

The women's basketball team kept up its hot streak in conference games by winning a pair of PSAC games last week against Mansfield and Kutztown, and the Huskies. Heading into a two-game week this week, Bloomsburg has won five of its last seven contests. The squad will play Lock Haven and Millersville this week as the fight for postseason contention. 

Against Mansfield last Monday, the Huskies led 29-26 at the half before outscoring the Mounties 20-8 in the third quarter to pull away for a 68-53 win. The Huskies had four different players in double figures, nine different players score, and five different players record at least one block or a steal in addition to 35 points from non-starters in the win.
 
Emma Gochnauer (Strasburg, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg), Abby Brown (Phillipsburg, N.J./Bethlehem Catholic) and Lauren Kirsch (Palmyra, PA/Lower Dauphin) each led the way in scoring for the Huskies with 12 points apiece. Freshman forward Hailey Hudak (Schwenksville, PA/Spring Ford) was the fourth Bloomsburg player in double figures, tying her career-high of 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting night.

Bloomsburg's big third quarter saw seven different players score a basket as the team shot 50% (6-for-12) from the floor and 85.7% (6-for-7) from the free-throw line as the Huskies built the first double-digit lead of the game. Even more impressive was the squad's defense, which limited Mansfield to a 2-for-15 (13.3%) shooting performance in the frame. Additionally, four of the Mansfield's eight points in the quarter came from the charity stripe and helped the Mountaineers keep their deficit at bay.
 
Bloomsburg's hot shooting performance continued in the fourth quarter and helped the team keep a comfortable lead. The Huskies shot 57.1% (8-for-14) in the fourth and received a boost from Brown, Hudak and Alison Hileman, who combined for 14 of the team's 19 points in the frame. Hileman scored all four of her points in the frame, and Hudak went 3-for-3 from two-point range to score six of her 10 points. Brown knocked down a pair of field goals to score four points in the fourth.

On Wednesday at Kutztown, Gochnauer had a career-day for the Huskies with 23 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and her career. She went 13-for-15 from the free throw line, which were career highs, and was 5-for-11 from the field. All 10 of Gochnauer's rebounds came on the defensive side of the court and helped to limit Kutztown to just six second-chance points.

Katie Starr (Berwick, PA/Berwick) finished with 18 points and six rebounds while Abby Brown (Phillipsburg, N.J./Bethlehem Catholic) dished out a team-best three assists to go with three points and three rebounds. Kelly Leszcynski (Narareth, Pa./Nazareth) had nine points, two rebounds, and two assists.
 
The Huskies shot 46.7% (21-for-45) from the field and were 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. The Huskies went to the line 23 times and finished 20-for-23 (87%) for the game.

Bloomsburg's next game will be on Wednesday, Feb.1, when it hosts Lock Haven. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:30 PM, and the game will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which is on Feb. 1.

The Bloomsburg men's swim team will be back in action this week with its annual Senior Day celebration on Saturday. The event will be held at the Nelson Field House Pool at 12:00 PM and feature the men's and women's swim teams of Bloomsburg.  

Behind a strong performance that saw the senior swimmer Grace Beierschmitt (Dover, Pa./Dover) break a pool record and the Huskies win 11 of the 15 events, the Bloomsburg women's swim team beat East Stroudsburg in a dual meet by a final tally of 153-92 at the Koehler Fieldhouse Pool in East Stroudsburg on Saturday.
 
Beierschmitt broke ESU's pool record in the 50-yard backstroke as the first leg in Bloomsburg's 200-yard medley relay team. The senior's record-setting mark of 27.28 helped the quadrant of swimmers finish second overall with a time of 1:53.53.
 
Another Husky relay team that consisted of Justine Drake (Phillipsburg, NJ/Phillipsburg), Katie Eisenhofer (Reading, PA/Schuylkill Valley), Sydney Lloyd (Nescopeck, Pa./Berwick) and Maggie Shaffer (East Petersburg, PA/Hempfield) placed first overall with a mark of 1:53.51, which was just .02 seconds ahead of Beierschmitt's team. Taleah Ruben (Pottsville, PA/Pottsville), Katie Sharkey (Brookfield, Conn./Brookfield) and Courtney Hubric (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) teamed up with Beierschmitt on the second-place relay team.
 
After the 200-yard medley relay, ESU won the next two events, but the rest of the meet belonged to Bloomsburg as the squad won 10 of the final 12 events.
 
The next first-place finisher for the Huskies was Gabi Walsh (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown), who won the 100-yard backstroke with a mark of 1:01.30. In the same event, Eisenhofer placed second with a time of 1:04.50 and Rylee Wenzel (West Lawn, PA/Wilson High School) picked up two points by placing fourth (1:05.86).
 
Julia Riegel (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks South) won the 100-yard breaststroke in a tight event that saw four swimmers place within two and a half seconds from one another. Riegel placed first with her time of 1:11.38, which was nearly a second faster than ESU's Mia Estep, who finished second with her time of 1:12.01. Bloomsburg grabbed the next two spots as Ruben finished third (1:12.46) and Shaffer finished fourth (1:13.47).
 
Beierschmitt continued her big day in the 50-yard freestyle, picking up a win with a time of 25.27. Ali Lehman placed third (26.53) in the same event, and Dani Noss (Mifflinville, Pa/Central Columbia) finished fifth (28.90).
 
In the 200-yard backstroke, Maddie Osanitsch won the event with a time of 2:13.11 and Anna Sugra (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor) placed third (2:30.28) to pick up three points for Bloomsburg.
 
Eisenofer won the 10th event of the dual by finishing first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:34.94.
 
The 500-yard free saw another Bloomsburg first-place finisher as Tara Kupsky (Bear Creek Township, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) won the event with a time of 5:34.10. Kupsky's fastest split during the race was 30.80.
 
Wenzel won the 100-yard butterfly to pick up nine points for the Huskies, finishing first with a time of 1:00.36. Katie Sharkey (Brookfield, Conn./Brookfield) was third (1:02.86) in the same event and Leheman finished fourth (1:04.45).
 
Riegel and Kupsky finished first and second overall in the 200-yard IM. Riegel won the event with a time of 2:19.87 and Kupsky posted a mark of 2:23.38 to place second.
 
A pair of Bloomsburg relay teams placed first and second in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Beierschmitt, Shaffer, Eisenhofer and Hubric teamed up to post a time of 1:41.80 and finish first overall in the event. Wenzel, Reigel, Lehman and Lloyd finished second with a time of 1:43.08.
 
In the final event of the day, Osanitsch won the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:54.51. Osanitsch's fastest split was 29.21 and the junior did not have a split slower than 33.28.
 
The women's swim team will get back into the pool on Feb. 4, which is when the team will partake in its annual Senior Celebration at the Nelson Field House. The event, which will solely consist of Bloomsburg men's women's swim teams, is scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM.

The women's tennis team will begin its spring season with an away match at St. Francis University this Saturday. The match is scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM. 

Bloomsburg's men's indoor track and field team picked up four PSAC qualifying time at the Bison Open and Multi host by Bucknell University, on Friday and Saturday.
 
Brayden Graham (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) hit the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifying time and placed fourth in the 800-meter run, with a college-personal best time of 1:58.44. Parker Jarratt (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) took fifth place in the event, with a time of 1:59.29. Parker has had back-to-back meets running qualifying times in the 800-meter run.
 
Robert Wilson (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) placed fifth in the 400-meter sprint with a time of 51.01. This time good enough to qualify for the PSAC indoor championship. Wilson currently is ranked seventh in the PSAC. Eight of the top times in the 400 for PSAC runners were set on Saturday and seven came at the Bison Opener and Multi.
 
Graham, Jarratt, Wilson and Michael Gavio (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) placed fifth in the distance medley, clocking in at 10:32.54. That time is the fifth-fastest in the PSAC this season.
 
Doug Walsh (Old Forge, Pa./Holy Cross High School) placed seventh of in the men's heptathlon, placing fourth in the 60-meter, high jump, shot put and placing fifth in long jump. Walsh finished with 4047 total points and is currently ranked sixth in the PSAC in the heptathlon with 4219 points, which he set in the season-opening meet at Bucknell.
 
The Huskies will travel to Utica, New York for the Pioneer Invitational on Saturday, February 4.

Bloomsburg's women's track and field team picked up four new Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifying times and 15 top-eight finishes, including one event win, at the Bison Open and Multi host by Bucknell University, on Friday and Saturday.
 
Sophomore Jaime Diedel (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) won the 1,000-meter run with a time of 3:11.15, defeating runners from Shippensburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield. She finished just under two seconds ahead of the next runner.
 
Sarah Castronova (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) took eighth in the 400-meter sprint with a time of 1:00.71 whole Delaney Porter (Pen Argyl, Pa./Penn Argyl Area) just missed a top-eight finish with her new PSAC qualifying time of 1:01.09.
 
Lexi Kirk (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) took seventh overall in the 500-meter run at 1:29.12.
 
The Huskies placed three runners in the top-eight of the 800-meter run, including a pair of new PSAC times. Alyssa Keeley (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy) took fourth overall with her PSAC time of 2:23.65 while Brianna Dumond (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua Area) finished fifth with a PSAC time of 2:24.40. Megan Gambogi (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) finished eighth at 2:25.77.
 
Amanda Kelly (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) finished fifth overall in the 1-mile run at 5:16.89 while Nicole Keeley (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy) earned a spot at the PSAC Indoor Championship as she finished eighth overall with a time of 5:21.65.
 
The 4x400-meter relay team of Castronova, Porter, Gambogi, and Kelsie Robinson (Media, Pa./Penncrest High School) took fifth overall with a time of 4:12.05 whole the DMR team of Diedel, Castronova, Dumond, and Kelly finished second at 12:35.20. Alyssa Keeley (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy), Porter, Sarah Sweet (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prepatory), and Nicole Keeley (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy) took fourth at 12:55.82.
 
Dahlia Hosey (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro Area) took third overall in the long jump at 5.46 meters while Devin Hubler (Minersville, Pa./Minersville Area) finished sixth with a jump of 5.20 meters.
 
Bailey Corrigan (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra High School) took sixth overall in the pentathlon with 2218 total points and Lilly Slater (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township High School) finished eighth with 1959 points. Corrigan is currently 22nd in the PSAC in the pentathlon while Slater is ranked 24th.
 
The Huskies will travel to Utica, New York for the Pioneer Invitational on Saturday, February 4.

The Bloomsburg wrestling team hosted it's annual alumni match and impressed the crowd with a 34-9 win over LIU behind five bonus point wins, Saturday afternoon.
 
Bronson Garber (Millersburg, Pa./Upper Dauphin) open the match with a 10-3 decision over Robert Sagaris at 125 pounds. Garber got a pair of takedowns sandwiched between an escape by Sagaris to take a 4-1 lead into the second period. After choosing bottom in the second, Garber quickly got an escape and a takedown to push his lead to 7-1. Sagaris took bottom in the third and got a reversal to cut the lead to 7-3 but a penalty point pushed Garber's advantage to 8-4 and an escape plus riding time closed out the match 10-3 in favor of Garber.
 
Cole Rhone (Benton, Pa./Benton Area), ranked #33 in the latest Intermat rankings, got the first bonus point win of the day for the Huskies with a 16-1 tech fall through three full periods against Kaelen Francios at 133 pounds. Rhone did not waste any time with a takedown to open the bout and got two four-count near falls to take a 10-0 lead after just the first period. Rhone deferred his choice in the second and Francois chose neutral to open the second. Rhone got his second takedown of the match for the 12-0 lead but Francois escaped for his first point of the afternoon. Rhone picked bottom for the third and escaped before getting his third takedown for the 15-1 lead. Rhone held the riding time point for the 16-1 tech fall (7:00) win and the 8-0 match lead for Bloomsburg.
 
The Huskies got back-to-back bonus point wins as Josh Mason (New Ringgold, Pa./Blue Mountain) picked up a 14-3 major decision over Devin Matthews at 141 pounds. Mason controlled the match from the start with a takedown early and two four-count near falls for the 10-0 lead. Matthews picked neutral to start the second and Mason took advantage with a takedown for the 12-0 lead. Mason picked top to start the third and Matthews got on the board with a takedown and escape to cut the lead to 12-3. Mason escaped from Matthew's control and had the riding time point for the 14-3 win and 12-0 match lead for the Huskies.
 
The Sharks picked up back-to-back wins at 149 and 157 – an 8-7 decision for Drew Witham and a pin at 3:35 for Rhise Royster.
 
The Huskies lost a team point after the 149-pound match and lead 11-9 midway through the match.
 
Trenton Harder (Gardners, Pa./Bermudian Springs) got the Huskies back on track with a 6-2 decision over Blake Bahna at 165 pounds. Harder had an early takedown and controlled the match from the opening whistle. Bahna had an escape in the second period but Harder quickly answered with another takedown. Harder got the advantage of a penalty point and riding time while Bahna had a stall warning point for his last of the bout. Harder won 6-2 to give Bloomsburg a 14-9 lead heading into the final four bouts.
 
Anthony DeRosa (Milford, N.J./Bethlehem Catholic) pushed the Huskies lead to 17-9 with a 3-1 decision over Anthony Franden at 174 pounds. DeRosa had a late takedown in the first period and chose bottom in the second. He pushed his lead to 3-0 with an escape in the period before Franden chose bottom for the third and got an escape in the period as DeRosa hung on for the 3-1 win.
 
The Huskies rolled to three-straight bonus point wins to close out the match. Bruno Stolfi (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) kicked things off with a 17-0 tech fall (3:41) over Joseph LoPresti at 184 pounds. Stolfi's first period mirrored that of Rhone and Mason as he got an early takedown and two four-count near falls. After choosing top for the second period, he had another four-count near fall followed by a two-count for the 17-0 lead and tech fall. The Huskies pushed their lead to 22-9 with two matches to go.
 
Tanner Culver (Hartland, Mich./Hartland) made quick work of John Dusza at 197 pounds. Culver got a takedown to open the bout and got the pin at 1:56 for six team points for the Huskies. Shane Noonan (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton Area) followed suit at 285 pounds over Aeden Begue. Noonan's take down early in the first period gave him control before he got the pin at 2:36 for the 34-9 Huskies win.

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