Sidelines

Men's soccer players honored by MAC

The Mid-American Conference honored five members of the Bulls men's soccer team as seniors forward Andrae Clarke and goaltender Daniel Bell were named to the All-MAC First Team. The other Bulls honored were junior forward Dan Stevens, senior midfielder Brian Knapp and sophomore defender Dan Gwyther, who were named to the second team.

It is the first time in history that the conference honored two Buffalo soccer players on the first-team as well as the first time that a total of five Bulls were named to both the first and second-teams. Clarke and Stevens were also named to the MAC All-Tournament team. The Bulls made it to the semi-finals but suffered a loss against Northern Illinois, 3-0.

Clarke led the Bulls this year with eight goals and 18 points. The eight goals are second best in the MAC and is one shy of the mark he set last season. Clarke is the third player in Buffalo history to lead the team in both goals and points in three seasons.

The Buffalo goaltender Bell earned his first-team All-MAC honor after being named to the second team last season. He completed this season with a personal best of stopping 60 shots. He was second in the MAC with a .822 save percentage, earning him a top 30 ranking in the nation.

Newcomers honored by conference

Freshmen running back James Starks and safety Mike Newton were honored as the MAC East Division Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week. It was the first time this season that the Bulls had been honored on the defensive and offensive side of the ball during the same week.

Starks set career-highs in three categories as he made 24 carries, 162 rushing yards and three touchdowns to lead a Buffalo offense that exploded for 38 points in the second half. He became the first Bulls' player since 2002 to rush for three touchdowns in a game.

Newton played safety for junior Kareem Byrom, who filled in for injured senior linebacker Ramon Guzman on the defensive side of the ball that helped limit Kent State to 298 yards. Newton made two interceptions and finished the game with eight tackles.

The athletics department also announced that the Bulls last regular season road game at Wisconsin will be played at noon and will be broadcasted on ESPNU. It will mark back-to-back weeks that the Bulls will appear on ESPNU as they travel to Akron on Thursday.

Pep Rally to be held in Student Union Theater

Also, the athletics department, in conjunction with the Student Association and ESPNU, will be televising Thursday's Buffalo-Akron game at 5:30 p.m. in the Student Union Theater as part of a pep rally for both the Buffalo football and basketball teams.

Many festivities are planned for the event as students will be able to meet both the men's and women's basketball teams and hear from men's head coach Reggie Witherspoon and women's head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald on the upcoming seasons. Prizes and food will also be given away.