Enrique Carrasco, Editor

Header Image: GoExplorers

As the semester begins to wind down, so do the seasons of various sports, including the Lacrosse team. The Lacrosse team found themselves traveling to St. Bonaventure, New York to face the Bonnies, then to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to face off against the Duquesne Dukes, all in one weekend.

The Explorers found success against the Bonnies, coming away with a 12-11 win. Graduate student and midfielder Emily Johnston led the team in goals, accounting for a third of the team’s total goals (4), while sophomore midfielder Maddie Henderson led the team in assists with a total of two.

The Explorers were off to a hot start on offense, with Henderson, Johnston, Lola Quigley and senior Kiki Venza all scoring goals within the first quarter, with Henderson acquiring both of her assists during this quarter. On defense, the Explorers were able to hold the Bonnie’s to only a single goal in the first quarter. The Bonnie’s seemed like a completely different team in the second quarter though, outscoring the Explorers 4-1, tying the game at 5-5.

The half time break seemed to benefit the Explorers, as they seemed to come out with the energy  that they were lacking in the second quarter. Venza, graduate attacker Maddie Dachowski, Henderson and Johnston all tallied a goal in this quarter, with Venza achieving an assist. he Bonnie’s came back with a lot of energy in the fourth quarter, though, outscoring the Explorers 5-0. With 4:02 left on the clock, the Explorers were able to score the last three goals of the game, and ultimately rally back for the 12-11 win. This 4-goal game for Johnston marks her fourth hat trick of the season.

The Explorers did not have as much luck in their game against the Dukes though. The Explorers fell to the Dukes 18-9, and fell to 2-4 in conference play in the season.

The Explorers were off to a slow start against the Dukes, with the Dukes scoring the first two goals of the contest. Quigley and Dachowski both answered with a goal of their own, tying the game at 2-2, with the Dukes scoring one last goal before the end of the quarter. The explorers outscored the dukes 3-2 in the second quarter, with Henderson scoring her 19th goal of the season, and Johnston scoring her 32nd goal.

It seemed like the half time break benefited the Dukes this time, though. After a 5-5 half, the Dukes went on a 8-0 run in the first minutes of the third quarter, ultimately outscoring the Explorers 9-3 in the quarter. It seemed like this quarter really got to the Explorers, as they were outshot 16-6. This momentum carried onto the fourth quarter, where the Dukes outscored the Explorers 4-1, ending the game at 18-9.

Once again, Johnston led the team in goals in this game, coming away with three goals in the game, marking her fifth hat trick of the season. Venza led the team in assists this game, coming away with two assists in the game.

The Explorers head onto their next game of the season, taking on the University of Massachusetts for their last home game of the season on April 14 at 1 p.m. 

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

Header Image: Atlantic 10 Conference

Monday Mar. 21, 2022: After four seasons, La Salle University decided to cut ties with head coach Ashley Howard, with no inkling of a replacement announced to the community. Some students were elated, some players even, but some students and most players were rather upset with the abrupt announcement. Yet, in a somewhat unexpected move, on Tuesday Apr. 5, 2022, La Salle announced to the community that they have convinced alum Fran Dunphy, ‘70, to return to his alma mater to coach the men’s basketball team.

One question remains after all the dust has settled after this announcement: Is Dunphy the right answer for La Salle’s failing program? La Salle’s program has a history of being one of the hardest jobs in the A-10’s due to financial and facility issues. Some critics of La Salle’s athletics administration seem to be on the side of Dunphy, and here are some reasons why they may be accurate in their assessments of him as a coach.

Howard had his first ever head coach position as an Explorer, and amounted to a .388-win percentage. In his four seasons as the head coach, Howard only went above .400 once (during the 2019-2020 season). In his first year as a head coach, Dunphy went .462 (1989-1990 season), not the best, but better than most seasons Howard ever had. In his seventeen years as head coach of Penn, Dunphy reached the NCAA tournament a legendary  nine times, being regular season champs in every single one those seasons. Penn is in a significantly harder conference than La Salle, the Ivy League conference, and if any of that success can be replicated at La Salle, the Explorers’ basketball program is likely to see both Atlantic 10 and NCAA tournament success in the future..

Take not only his seventeen years at Penn, but also look at his historic record at Temple. In only his second year there, Dunphy was able to win the A-10 conference tournament, booking their ticket into the NCAA March Madness tournament. In his 13 years as head coach of Temple, Dunphy was able to take the Owls to the post season tournament eight separate times.

This coaching experience is exactly what the Explorers are looking for, as the school has only reached the NCAA tournament only once since joining the A-10’s in 1995. The school has not had a winning record since the 2014-2015 season and has consistently placed along the bottom of the conference, stowing a culture of losing. The athletic department, represented by Brian Baptiste in an email to the La Salle community announced that Dunphy is the answer to these problems — the one slam dunk La Salle has been looking for in order to revive the program. While La Salle will no doubt be fighting an uphill battle,still having to play schools such as Davidson and 6’10” forward Luka Brajkovic, Dunphy may end the losing slump that La Salle has been suffering in the past several years.

Asking students around campus their opinion on this hiring, some users seemed to be excited for the new hiring.  Brian ’23, stated, “A great hire. Might go .500 next year. Can only get better with Fran.” ISBT senior Raymond Kovacsics said “I think it was a great hire. Dunphy brings stability, experience, and a new mindset to the program. After a tumultuous run, La Salle needed fresh blood. Dunphy is a familiar figure who understands the culture at La Salle and wants to restore the program to its glory days. Baptiste hit a home run. Overall, I think the administration did an excellent job finding Dunphy, and I think Fran will find success.”

Even students who don’t keep up much with sports, such as our News Editor Kylie McGovern, stated “Things can only go up right? I don’t know a lot about sports, but he seems like the best option from what the university said in their email.” Noah ’25, even boldly stated, “He is the GOAT we have been looking for.”

Whether Dunphy is the right option for La Salle is something only time will be able to tell. Dunphy could very well come in and do worse than Howard, or he might have a dream season and take La Salle to the Elite Eight. 
Editor’s Note: I am personally very excited for what is to come, and as editor of the sports section, am very much looking forward to writing about the men’s team next season, and look forward to seeing how “Mr. Big 5” will do as the head coach of La Salle university.

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

The day is Monday, March 21, 2022. My flight from Guadalajara, Jalisco had just landed in my hometown of Ciudad Juarez at 9 a.m. MT. After turning off airplane mode on my phone I receive a plethora of texts from friends with the most amazing news I have ever seen: the words “Howard’s gone” with the link to a tweet stating he had been fired. I was overwhelmed with joy at reading this news, and as a previous doubter of the Athletic Department, I can finally say that they made the right move.

I have been an avid critic of Ashley Howard ever since my team got cut, have shown this hatred throughout my articles during the semester and have been a known hater of the basketball team

But at the end of the day, my hatred was not for the team, but rather the coaching staff. How is it that a man who is getting paid $750,000 a year, gets 95 percent of the athletic budget and had a record of winning championships can produce something as miserable and terrible as Ashley Howard has? How is it that this man has every single thing set in place for him to win, fails to do so, embarrassing an entire school in the process? La Salle went to the Sweet 16 only six years before, so some sort of winning culture still existed within the program, some sort of pride in the team. This man drove us from a respectable team to second to last or last within the A-10s.

For years I had been dreaming of the day that Howard was gone, and the rumors I heard earlier in the year that stated that he would be fired next year if he did not win only helped hype this dream on. I dream of a basketball program where people have to camp outside the stadium simply to get tickets for the games. I want big wins at home, I want a respectable basketball program, something that can only be done without Howard at the helm of the program.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no expectations for next year’s team to do any better, but at least not having Howard at the helm of things will make it easier to bear. Various other coaches across the nation are prime candidates for this position, and, if given the right incentives, might be making their coaching debut at 20th and Olney some time soon. 

Elizabeth McLaughlin, Editor

On Feb. 26, senior day, La Salle men’s basketball narrowly defeated the Dayton Flyers. Kyle Thompson, Andrew Lafond, Clifton Moore and Jack Clark were recognized before the game as the team’s four seniors. For the first two seniors, it was their first start of their Explorer career. The win over Dayton marks the end of a five-game losing streak. The Explorers now stand at 8-18 on the year, increasing to 3-13 in the Atlantic 10. Dayton, on the other hand, falls to 20-29 and 12-4 in conference play.

Moore started the game by scoring six points in the opening minutes. The Dayton Flyers employed full-court pressure on the Explorers, prompting them to get a 24-14 lead. Clark stepped in and cut the point deficit to seven by hitting a three pointer from right outside the 3-point line. Moore also helped spark a 7-0 spurt to cut the deficit to eight by the second half’s first timeout.

Both teams traded seven straight possessions and each move from the Flyers saw an effective counter move from the Explorers. Khalil Brantley helped the Explorers gain a healthy 61-55 advantage with 2:28 remaining in the game. Then, Dayton’s Koby Brea hit a three pointer and slashed La Salle’s lead to two. Then, the Explorer’s defense held out for over two minutes and their offense prompted the Flyers to force a shot clock violation on the final Explorer possession.

By the last 12 seconds, the Explorers were leading by 61-60 and called on their defense. Moore managed to block Brea’s three pointer, securing a win for the Explorers. A double-technical was assessed by both teams as well as a personal foul from Dayton; Moore went to the line for a one-and-one with 0.1 seconds remaining. The Flyers were unable to muster a win over the Explorers, ending the game at 62-60.

If the team can continue playing like they did against Dayton, many good games will follow suit.

Aidan Tyksinski, Staff

Header Image: NASCAR

Courtesy of Nascar

As I watched the Daytona 500 this weekend, the first and by far the biggest race of the NASCAR season, it made me remember the first NASCAR race that I was excited to watch. The race was Martinsville in 2020. Although I was excited, it was not just because it was the first time this historic track was being used at night, nor was it because it was the only live sport happening that night due to the pandemic. 

I was excited to watch because earlier that day, NASCAR officials announced that fans could no longer wave Confederate flags on race days. It was a move that no one expected, but in the wake of the George Floyd cases, the heads of NASCAR realized that it was an important step to highlight that they, as an organization, were dedicated to being a more inclusive group.

While the banning of the Confederate flag was huge news, NASCAR has been working on trying to diversify the sport for many years. For as long as anyone can remember, NASCAR had long been a sport dominated by white men, both on and off the track. Prior to 2020, only one black man (Wendell Scott Sr.) had ever won a NASCAR Cup race, which he did all the way back in  1964. In between Scott’s win to the turn of the century, there were no other permanent minority drivers in the Cup Series. Clearly, NASCAR had a diversity problem. So, in the early 2000s, they decided to fix it.

In 2004, NASCAR created Drive for Diversity, a program dedicated to getting more minority drivers to experience driving, owning and working for NASCAR teams. The program was also created to help those in lower-income families be able to get the resources to drive without having to put their own money into racing. After 18 years, the program has been largely a success. 

Three of the best racers for the NASCAR Cup Series today went through the Drive for Diversity program at some point in their career. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., who last season became the second African American racer to win a Cup Series race, was part of the program in 2010. Kyle Larson, whose mother is Japanese-American, participated in the program in 2012. Daniel Suarez, a Mexican-American racer, was part of Drive for Diversity in 2013 and 2014. Suarez has one top-five finish and four top-10 finishes in his Cup Series career, while Larson finished 2021 as the regular season and overall champion.

This isn’t to say NASCAR hasn’t had a few bumps in the road with their program. The sport has only ever had one full-time woman driver in the Cup Series (Danica Patrick), and in 2020 Kyle Larson was suspended for the entire season after using a racial slur during an E-Sports race while the actual season was shut down from the pandemic. However, the number of female drivers at the lower levels and NASCAR’s swift action against Larson shows that the sport is not messing around when it comes to diversity and racial sensitivity.

While leagues like the NHL and MLB are struggling to get more minority athletes into the sport and the NFL is facing heavy criticism over the lack of Black coaches in the league, NASCAR is showing the sports world that diversity can be accomplished without using affirmative action or making false promises to players about what they will do to make the league more diverse. While the Cup Series and NASCAR have a long way to go, the sport is making strides that no one thought was possible 20 years ago, and that is an accomplishment everyone can appreciate.   

Enrique Carrasco, Editor 

On Feb. 19, the La Salle lacrosse team faced off against 2-0 Mt. St. Mary’s in their second game of the season. Although the snow was falling and the wind was blowing, the squad pushed through and came out on top over The Mount. 

The Explorers were off to a hot start with sophomore Maddie Henderson putting the Explorers up to a 2-1 lead. Shortly after, sophomore midfielder Claudia Steinmetz managed to find the back of the net, putting the Explorers up 3-1. Shortly before the quarter ended, The Mount was able to go on a 2-0 run to end the quarter 3-3. The second quarter saw numerous defensive stops on both sides of the game, with both teams only scoring two goals each, ending the half at a 5-5 tie. 

Going into the third quarter, the Explorers were able to continue their defensive streak, only allowing one goal from Mt. St. Mary’s. Henderson was able to complete her hat trick, scoring her third goal of the game, and  a goal was scored by Kiki Venza, her third in the season. The Explorers ended the third quarter with a 7-6 lead over The Mount. In the start of the final quarter, each team went on a 2-0 run, with senior Erin Welsh scoring the equalizer, and eventually scoring the team’s last goal of regulation. With five minutes left in the game, Mt. St. Mary was able to score a tying goal, which eventually led the game into overtime. During overtime, both teams were able to show their defensive skills, with neither team scoring a single goal in the first two quarters of overtime. Heading into triple overtime, senior midfielder Emily Johnston scored the golden goal, giving the squad a 10-9 win. 

The Explorers were able to show what they are capable of during this game. The La Salle defense was able to constantly stop the Mt. St. Mary’s offense time and time again, and managed to keep a hold on their lead for most of the game. After winning several dropped balls, as well as several face-offs, the defense was not only able to keep the Mountaineer offense at bay but also managed to take the ball off of their hands in crucial points during the game.  On the offensive side, the Explorers were able to maintain their momentum during the game. With help from Senior Attacker Kiki Venza, Sophomore Maddie Henderson, and Sophomore Claudia Steinmetz at the forefront of the La Salle offense, the squad seems to be unstoppable against any defense that they ultimately have to face. Ultimately, the squad looks like a highly capable and talented team, and if the first two games of the season have been any indication of what is to come, then many more interesting games are to come to 20th and Olney.

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

Header Image: goexplorers

On Sat. Feb. 12, the Lacrosse team took the field at McCarthy stadium to begin their 2022 season. The Explorers faced off against the Iona Gaels for their season/home opener game. The Explorers, hoping to overcome their record in the previous season, set out onto the field determined to win.

Two minutes and twenty-five seconds into the game though, Iona scored the first of many goals, putting them at an early advantage over the explorers. Despite this, minutes later, senior attacker Kiki Venza, found the back of the net in an offensive drive from the Explorers, equalizing the game at 1-1. Thanks to goals from junior Tori Rolon and sophomore Claudia Steinmetz, the Explorers were able to take the lead over the Gaels. Despite this, Iona was able to go on their own 3-0 run, only stopping with another goal from Rolon, ending the quarter at 4-4. The Explorers started the second quarter full of energy, and with help from sophomore Mackenzie Click and once again Rolon, the explorers were able to start the quarter with a 2-0 run. Despite this, the Explorer defense was unable to stop the Gael offense, and allowed two more goals before the end of the half, tying the game at 6-6.

The Gaels seemed like a completely different team at the start of the second half, and it was obvious they carried all of the momentum with them. With just 29 seconds into the quarter, the Gales were able to score on the Explorers, putting them up 7-6. Yet, after a perfectly placed pass and shot from the Explorers, as well as a defensive stop, the Explorers were able to retake the lead from Iona, 8-7. Towards the end of the quarter, the Gaels were able to go on a 6-3 run against the Explorers that continued in the last quarter of the game. This would inevitably be the last goals to come from Iona, as La Salle’s defense and offense dominated for the rest of the game. In the final 12:55 of play, the Defense was able to keep Iona scoreless. With 6:56 left in the play clock, the Explorers were able to take the lead 14-13, and secured the win at home.

While the team was able to secure the win, it was not without its issues. The squad was off to a slow start, both defensively and offensively. While both sides of the team were able to pick up speed and momentum, the lack of subs, as well as the season-ending injury senior midfielder Madison Hamilton suffered in the offseason were seen throughout the entire game. Despite this, the team was able to impressively rally back, and start the season with a win. If this home opener is any indication of what is to come, this will be an interesting and exciting season of Lacrosse at McCarthy stadium. Next up, the Explorers face off against Mount St. Mary’s for their second home game of the season. 

Kylie McGovern, Editor 

Header Image: NFL

To celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the Philadelphia Eagles announced a  female sports equipment donation and the creation of a high school girls flag football league, providing more opportunities for girls to participate in sports. The Philadelphia Eagles are launching the flag football league for female athletes in the Philadelphia area as well as donating the equipment for this league. The goal of this project is to encourage more females to be involved in sports, especially in a male-dominated sport like football. 

“This is a chance to really be first, go first in the league to support girls and women in this capacity,” explains Jen Kavanagh, senior VP for marketing and media for the Eagles. The Eagles tweeted that they are “committed to providing more access to sports for girls, we are donating $100,000 worth of female sports equipment to @LPFsports and have worked with local high schools to create the 1st Girls Flag Football League in Philly.” 

Leveling the Playing Field, Inc. (LPF) is receiving this donation from the Eagles to redistribute sports equipment to expand access and equity within youth sports and recreation programs in under-resourced communities — in this case, high school girls in Philadelphia. 

In collaboration with the NFL Foundation, the Eagles purchased $100,000 worth of sports bras for girls in need and 6,000 sports bras will be donated to every female athlete that needs one in the school district of Philadelphia. “While it may not be as widely known, sports bras are yet another equipment barrier that can prevent girls from under-resourced communities from engaging in sports and are one of our most requested pieces of gear. This incredible donation of new, quality sports bras is helping to break down those gendered barriers and get more girls from the Philadelphia community off the sidelines,” said Kaitlin Brennan, director of operations at LPF. 

The league will consist of 15 schools based on interest level across the city’s public and Catholic schools for an eight-game season — one of which will be played on the Birds’ home field: Lincoln Financial Field. Each school will receive custom uniforms from Nike and NFL, flag kits, including equipment and instructional materials and a $3,000 stipend from the Eagles for costs associated with the implementation of a team.

This new league, one of the first of its kind, is a huge step for female athletes everywhere. The Eagles team is creating an opportunity for females in sports and working to level the playing field. 

Enrique Carrasco, Editor 

On Tuesday, Feb. 8, the Explorers faced off against the Saint Louis Billikens in their 11th conference game of the season. The Explorers were coming off of a hot win against George Mason, who were ranked amongst the top five in the Atlantic 10 conference, and were hoping to continue their hot streak heading into the game. Ultimately, though, the Explorers fell to the Billikens 57-75. 

The Explorers were off to a hot start against the Billikens, taking an early 5-3 lead following a three-pointer from junior Josh Nickleberry. Despite this, the Billikens went on a 12 point run to go up 15-7 against the Explorers. The Explorers were able to remain within the game, and with his ninth point of the half, redshirt senior Clifton Moore was able to bring the game to 26-22 with the Explorers down by four. The Billikens seemed to take this as a challenge, and responded with an unanswered 12 point run, something the Explorers were only able to stop with a three-pointer of their own. The Explorers went into halftime 41-27. 

Despite their lack of offense in the first half, the Explorers went into the second half full of energy. The Explorers were able to score five unanswered points within the first couple of minutes in the half, and managed to cut the deficit to only six points. Despite this, the Billikens (who lead the league in points) answered with their own points, and quickly went up on the Explorers. The Explorers failed to do anything defensively and offensively for the rest of the game, and ultimately fell to the Billikens 57-75.

After the Explorers’ win over George Mason, they seemed like a confident team who could overcome any team, regardless of their ranking. The Explorers failed to show even a sliver of that in their game against Saint Louis. The Explorers failed to compete in every aspect of the game, and were outperformed every step of the way. 

The defense was sloppy, oftentimes allowing wide-open three-pointers, and the offense was being shut down in every drive. Even after a break away from the Explorers, they failed to capitalize with a wide-open dunk, completely missing the basket. The Explorers have seven games left in the season, and if the current record is any indication for what is to come, the Explorers will once again see themselves outside of not only the March Madness tournament but the A-10 playoff series. If the current culture surrounding the Explorers doesn’t change soon, we are bound to witness many more losses at Tom Gola Arena. 

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

The women’s water polo team had their season-opener games this past weekend. The team traveled up to Bucknell for what would be a three-game series against Bucknell, Mercyhurst, and St. Francis Brooklyn. They ultimately faced off against Princeton at home.

The first game of the season was against Bucknell, whom the team had defeated towards the end of their previous season.  The Explorers were off to a hot start at the beginning of the game, going up an early 2-0 at the end of the quarter thanks to graduate student Madison Martinez, who managed to find the back of the net. The Bisons were able to strike back against the Explorers at the beginning of the second quarter, eventually tying the game at 4-4. Bucknell was able to gain the upper hand and headed into the third quarter leading 6-4. The Explorers were able to bring the game to 6-7, and continued trading goals with the Bisons. Ultimately, though, the Explorers faced defeat, 10-9.

Their second game was against Mercyhurst, whom the team had no problem dealing with in previous seasons. Mercyhurst started the game off strong, winning the initial swim-off against sophomore Mia Mattingly. Despite this setback, an early goal from Martinez allowed the Explorers to gain the lead in the beginning of the game. The Explorers finished the first quarter 7-0, and continued their defensive streak in the second quarter, with junior Goalkeeper Emma Gurasich not allowing any goals in the first half. Ultimately, the Explorers defeated Mercyhurst 22-3.

After this win, their last game on the road was against St. Francis Brooklyn. The Explorers were coming off of their hot win against Mercyhurst, and were looking to continue their winning streak. The Explorers started off the game relatively slow, but were able to get the gears going. Graduate student Kalista Hyham led the Explorers in offense, recording a season-high five goals in the game. Hyham went 71.4 percent in shooting in the game, and was a vital part, both offensively and defensively, in the team’s 15-4 win over SFB.

Lastly, the women’s team traveled back to 20th and Olney to face off against the Princeton Tigers, who were coming off of a two-game losing streak. The team, hoping to continue their win streak and get a momentous victory over the Tigers, came into the game full of energy. The Explorers finished the first quarter down 2-1 thanks to a goal from Sarah Defusco and many defensive stops. The Explorers fought minute after minute, but ultimately, it seemed like the fatigue of playing 3 road games in a matter of a day and a half got to them, and they were unable to emerge victorious against the Tigers. The Explorers fell to the Tigers 10-8.

While the team went 2-2 over the weekend, there was nothing but positive notes. The way the team adapted to the much larger pool at Bucknell could be seen in both of their victories over the weekend. The defensive efforts from the team can be seen in the small number of goals that were let in, which can be attributed to junior Goalkeeper Emma Gurasich as well as assistant coach Veljko Kotarica, who I’ve been told has played a significant part in the team’s off-season. If this weekend of play is any indication for what is to come, many exciting water polo games are coming to Kirk Pool this season.