Sidelines

Athletes of the week crowned

The athletics department named freshman Connor Vander Zalm of the men's swimming team and sophomore Mary Veith of the women's cross-country team the Athletes of the Week.

Vander Zalm competed in his first meet as a swimmer for the Bulls this past weekend and helped Buffalo defeat Ball State, 137-106. This freshman won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:48.16 and anchored the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:12.42. He also placed second in the 1,000-yard freestyle in 9:58.18.

Veith of the women's cross-country team also had an impressive past weekend as she competed at the Mid-American Conference Championships. Veith was named to the All- MAC team after she raced on the muddy 5K course at Beaver Island State Park in a time of 20:37.65.

Veith came in second in the race and only 35 seconds behind Carime Reinhart of Ohio. She was able to better her time and position from 2005 when she placed 60th in the race.

It was also the first time that the event was held in Buffalo and Veith helped lead the Bulls to an overall 11th-place finish in the MAC Championships out of 12 teams.

MAC honors land in Buffalo

Bulls' senior Dan Bell of the men's soccer team was named the MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Week on October 26, 2006. Bell tied a season-high record with eight saves in his seventh shutout of the season as the Bulls defeated 19th-ranked Northern Illinois, 1-0 last week.

Bell lowered his goals against average to 0.73 and is now 9-4-1 in 15 games so far this season. The shutout was also Bell's first against a ranked opponent and the Bulls' first victory over a ranked program since September of 1997.

The MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honor is presented to a MAC male student-athlete who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. The winners are selected by a group of the conference's faculty athletic representatives.