The transition from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the building of a team with many young members is a recurring theme with Seton Hill University (SHU) sports this year. The women’s basketball team is no exception.

Moving to NCAA Division II this year is a “big transition period,” said Nikki Babik, graduate assistant coach.

Watch a commercial for a sports car sometime. They usually mention horsepower. But the women of the Seton Hill University (SHU) equestrian team have a different definition of horsepower.

Their version has rocketed them to a fourth place standing out of 14 teams and the season is not yet complete.

Seven active riders compete in different divisions based first on their level of experience and secondly on how they fare in competition.

Watch a commercial for a sports car sometime. They usually mention horsepower. But the women of the Seton Hill University (SHU) equestrian team have a different definition of horsepower. Their version has rocketed them to a fourth place standing out of 14 teams and the season is not yet complete.

Seven active riders compete in different divisions based first on their level of experience and secondly on how they fare in competition. Those who earn enough points in their current division “point out” of that division and into the next highest one.

Seton Hill University’s (SHU) women’s soccer team is transforming this year in terms of both players and goals. Five seniors graduated, and they have had to be replaced. The coaching staff was forced to find new talent to fill the positions of goalie, marking-back, and inside and outside midfielders.

They have done just that. Five freshmen girls joined the squad, as well as two transfers. Most of the seven new team members have started at least one game according to head coach John Fogle, and have “contributed significantly,” he said.

If you checked out a basketball or football home game this year, you might have been surprised to see one of the newer additions to the sidelines: cheerleaders.

The squad has been existed for two years and is holding tryouts on April 29 and April 30, 2006, for its third season. Currently, it is made up of 16 members, including two men. They cheer at home games for basketball and football but are also working on becoming a competitive squad. Practices are held four hours a week, but occasionally go up to six hours when a big day is coming up.

Pop quiz: when was the last time you heard about Seton Hill University’s (SHU) equestrian team? It may not have been recently, but one of the newest additions to SHU’s sports program is making its way up the ranks of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) horse show circuit.

Formerly a club, the team finished last semester’s show season in fourth place in the region, which encompasses western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. Shows are held at different schools, and horses are provided by the host school. The equalizing measure of IHSA competition is that horses are drawn by lottery - no one brings her own horse to compete.