Titans' basketball teams picked to finish second

Not to be outdone by their male counterparts, the Westminster College women's basketball team has been selected to finish second (out of seven teams) in the 2005-06 Presidents' Athletic Conference preseason poll.
The Titan men's team was also predicted to finish second behind Bethany.
The women's poll was conducted at the media day at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. Those making the polls were conference coaches, sports information directors and members of the media.
Coach Rosanne Scott's Titans are coming off a 21-8 season, which established a school record for wins. Westminster also won its first PAC championship and a spot in he NCAA Division III tournament. Scott is a Struthers High graduate.
Washington & amp; Jefferson picked up the No. 1 spot with 161 poll points and all 23 first-place votes. The Titans collected 126 points and were followed by Thomas More, 114; Grove City, 94; Bethany, 73; Waynesburg, 47; and Thiel, 34.
In the men's poll, the Titans of Coach Larry Ondako finished with 122 points, trailing only Bethany with 160. Third was W & amp;J with 110; Grove City, 81; Thiel, 64; Thomas More, 61; and Waynesburg, 46.
Both Westminster teams opened the season Friday. The men hosted the Buzz Ridl Classic, while the women journeyed to Erie to compete in the Penn State-Behrend Tip-Off Tournament.
Held its own
Hickory VFW Golf Course manager Doug Kritz released recently his annual report on the links, stating that the course "held its own this year."
He reported that most everything was moving along in the right direction with the exception of several obstacles that popped up, including the increase of gas and diesel prices. A surcharge to the cart rental pricing was administered which helped to offset those costs.
Instituted this past year were weekend specials which helped to increase play. "The response was overwhelming," said Kurtz.
Also instituted this past year was a Monday special which consisted of 18 holes with cart for $15 before 2 p.m. This also proved very popular.
What's down the road?
The new tees on No. 11 and 17 were not completed this year, although most of the work has been finalized with the exception of leveling and sodding.
"These will be our top priorities in 2006," Kritz related, "and the tees on No. 9 and 18 will get a new look."
Half-a-dozen
With a record of 16-4-1 overall (and a PAC mark of 11-1) the Westminster women's soccer team placed six players on the All-PAC team. In addition, coach Girish Thakar was named coach of the year.
Three Titans were named to the first team and three on the second team. First team selections were sophomore Mallory Bugel (Mars), who was also named player of the year; sophomore Brittany McKee (Hubbard), and freshman Whitney Griffin (Los Alamos, N.M.).
Second team picks were junior Sarah Calderone (Bethesda, Md.), junior Christa Andamasaris (Champion) and freshman Abby Montgomery (Peters Township).
Bugel posted team- and PAC-highs of 20 goals and 48 points, including a league-best, five game-winning goals. She posted four goals in a 6-0 win at Thiel and had a pair of three-goal contests. She was an All-PAC second team selection on defense in 2004.