Men Lose Season Opener in Overtime
The Oglethorpe University men's basketball team lost their first game of the season on Pinholster Court on Thursday night against cross-town rival Emory University in overtime, 85-81.

After trailing by as many as fifteen points and being down by twelve at the half, Oglethorpe stormed back to take a six point lead heading into the game's final 60 seconds. Disaster struck, however, as the Petrels missed six consecutive free throws in the waning seconds to open the door for the Eagles who promptly took advantage. Daniel Curtain hit a three-ball to tie the game with 16 ticks remaining and Emory rode the momentum into the overtime session for the win.
 
Prior to the meltdown at the free throw line, Oglethorpe looked poised for a nice season opening win after treating the crowd to the thrilling fifteen point turnaround. The comeback was highlighted by freshman Tyler Cerone connecting on consecutive three-pointers on the first two shots of his career.
 
The Petrels were led by Joe Kennedy's 18 points and 7 rebounds. Todd Ward added 13 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists on the night and Wade Weldon and Alex Richey tossed in 16 and 15 points respectively. For the night Oglethorpe shot 45% (32-71) from the field but a woeful 37% (7-19) from the free throw line.
 
The Petrels will shoot for their first win of the season this Sunday when they face Methodist on Pinholster Court at 3 p.m.

Robertson Named Third Team All-SCAC
Oglethorpe University freshman midfielder Ben Robertson of Boone, North Carolina has been named a member of the 2009 All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Third Team.

Robertson was dazzling for the Stormy Petrels in his inaugural season on Salamone Field, racking up the second most points on the team with 15. For the season, Robertson found the back of the net twice and assisted on five other goals for the Oglethorpe attack.
 
Robertson will join another stellar recruiting class by head coach Jon Akin next fall for Oglethorpe as they look to climb the ranks of the SCAC standings.

New Team, Same Result: Women Win Hoops Opener
The Oglethorpe University women's basketball team opened the 2009-2010 basketball season in style by trouncing Emory University on Pinholster Court on Tuesday night, 86-73. After graduating over 95% of the scoring and rebounding from last year's Sweet Sixteen squad, the Petrels started four freshmen but did not miss a beat in getting back to their winning ways.

With the game tied at 14 at the 13:15 mark of the first half, the Petrels used a 38-14 run to close the stanza and seize control of the game. The run was highlighted by freshman Riley Cerone's buzzer-beating three-pointer as the half expired. For the night, Cerone was scintillating shooting the basketball in sinking 8 of 11 shots and 7 of 10 from downtown on her way to a 26 point debut. The seven three-pointers in a game ranks second all-time in the Oglethorpe record books.
 
The Petrels also had three other freshmen record double-digits in their inaugural game on Pinholster Court with Sarah Jones pouring in 13 to go along with 7 assists, Kaci Palmore notching 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds and Sarah Giles recording 10 points and grabbing 6 boards. Senior Taymah Jones, coming off successive seasons missed with ACL injuries, returned to action as a starter and posted 7 points, four rebounds and two assists.
 
The winning night included a special halftime ceremony where the 2008-2009 SCAC Championship and Sweet 16 banner was unveiled and former All-Americans Anna Findley and Katie Kulavic had their jersey's retired.
 
The Petrels are now 1-0 on the season and will get set to host Maryville College this Monday at 7:00 p.m. on Pinholster Court.

Phillips, Arola Named All-SCAC Third Team
Oglethorpe University freshman midfielder Courtney Phillips of Stockbridge, Georgia and senior midfielder Ryanne Arola of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan have been named as members of the 2009 All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Third Team.

In only her freshman season, Phillips led the Stormy Petrel attack with 14 total points in the 2009 campaign. For the year, Phillips found the back of the net five times and assisted on four other goals. Among Oglethorpe's five wins in 2009 Phillips either scored or assisted on the team's game winning goal in four of the contests.
 
Arola, the senior captain and undisputed leader of the team, had yet another award winning season for the Petrels in totaling ten points overall. For the year, Ryanne recorded four goals and two assists for head coach Alan Woods.

Expectations Abound as Men's, Women's Basketball Gets Underway
The men's and women's basketball 2009-2010 seasons are just around the corner and lofty expectations are the preseason theme for both the men's and women's programs at Oglethorpe.

Exclusive balloting by the men's and women's basketball coaches in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference were held last week to determine the preseason order of finish for all 12 conference members and both the men's and women's teams for Oglethorpe fared well in the voting process.
 
The Oglethorpe University men's team received 103 total votes, including two first place votes, to make them the second pick overall in the conference. The Petrels trailed only eastern division rival Centre in the voting after the Colonels were able to secure 114 votes. To view the men's preseason order of finish as voted on by the coaches, go here. The men's season tips off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 19against Emory on Pinholster Court.
 
The Oglethorpe University women's team received 76 total votes to make them the fifth overall selection in the twelve team conference. The Petrels are projected to finish third in the eastern division behind DePauw (117 votes) and Centre College (109 votes). To view the women's preseason order of finish as vvoted on by the coaches, go here. The women's season tips off against Emory on Tuesday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m. on Pinholster Court.

Cross Country Concludes Season at NCAA Regional Championship
Oglethorpe closed the curtain on its 2009 cross country season on the rain-soaked muddied course over the Guilford College campus in Greensboro, North Carolina on Saturday afternoon. The weather by race time was beautiful – if not overly warm. But the day’s dawning had done little to dry out the hurricane-scarred race course.

Thirty-six colleges from the South/Southeast Region, which stretches from Virginia to Texas, sent team representatives to compete in the women’s 6k championship. Despite sidelining OU’s number one runner with injury, the women’s team managed to finish 27^th.  Leading the scoring for Oglethorpe was senior co-captain Avery Livingston.  She was followed by Sherry Blystone, Michelle Chelemer, Sarah Foster and Bekky Strom.

In the men’s 8k championship thirty schools entered contestants.  Oglethorpe’s men finished 22^nd. Senior co-captain Enrique Sanchez led the team – as he has for four years – and sadly missed All-Region by one second.  He was followed by co-captain Luis Zimbron, Jay Russell, Ellis Jones, Sean Lovett and Alex Van Zandt. 

Other than Livingston and Sanchez, Jay Russell is the only senior on the 2009 squad.

Dale Named Petrel Council October Athlete of the Month
Oglethorpe University senior women's golfer Katie Dale of Peachtree City, Georgia has been named the Petrel Council's Athlete of the Month for October. Voted on by a panel of Petrel Council members, the student-athlete advisory board, Dale was a runaway selection after earning medalist honors at the 2009 Rhodes Fall Classic.

In addition to claiming the medalist honors at the Rhodes Fall Classic, Dale also scored a top-10 finish the Berry Chick-fil-A Classic earlier in the month when she came home in 8th place. Dale also competed in the Nova Southeastern Shark with Division I and II athletes and finished in a tie for 62nd place in a field loaded with talent.
 
The Petrel Council would like to congratulate Katie on her outstanding month of October.

Hoops Season Tips Off With Saturday Night Extravaganza
The 2009-2010 men's and women's basketball seasons begin in earnest this Saturday night with an extravaganza open to all on Pinholster Court. Come watch the season get underway with a slam dunk contest, three-point shooting exhibition and intra-squad scrimmages. There will also be performances by the cheerleaders and free give-aways to students in attendance. The extravaganza begins at 8:00 p.m. in the Dorough Field House so don't be late!