Winning Le Moyne Coach
Succeeds Legendary Sauers

“Scott Hicks will be an excellent leader as our program makes the transition to Division I in 1999-2000,” Richards said. “He has a proven track record as both a winning coach and someone who values the student-athlete and high quality academics. His coaching experience at all NCAA levels coupled with his commitment and a vision for excellence in athletics and academics will lend itself well as our program moves forward.”

Hicks, who compiled an 87-56 record in five seasons at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, has guided the Dolphins to two consecutive NCAA Division II tournament appearances. His .608 winning percentage ranks second among the school’s all-time coaches, while his victory total is third in the 48-year history of Le Moyne basketball.

Le Moyne captured the Northeast-10 Conference championship in its first season in the league this past year. Hicks, who was also the College’s NCAA compliance officer and director of scheduling, led the program to the New England Collegiate Conference title in 1995-96, and matched a school record for victories with a 24-6 mark. In the previous three seasons, the Dolphins had winning records with 16 or more victories in each campaign.

Hicks, who was hired at age 26 in 1992 as the youngest head coach at any NCAA school, was a graduate assistant coach on Jim Boeheim’s staff at Syracuse University prior to his appointment at Le Moyne. The Orangemen posted a two-year record of 48-14, received two NCAA Division I tournament berths, and won the Big East Conference’s regular-season crown in 1991 and conference tournament championship in 1992. He also served as an assistant under head coach Tom Murphy at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York from 1988-90, and was the head junior varsity coach in his second year. Hicks later coached the Central New York open team to a silver medal at the '91 Empire State Games.

A native of Oneida, N.Y., Hicks graduated from Le Moyne in 1988 with an bachelor of science degree in business administration. He was a co-captain on the '87-’88 team, which went 24-6 and reached the NCAA East Regional. Hicks, who earned four varsity letters, and was named to the NCAA all-regional team as a senior, ranks seventh on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,470 points. An all-around player, he is also ninth in rebounding (627), seventh in assists (320) and second in steals (178). He was selected the John J. O’Brien S.J. Senior Athlete of the Year in 1988, went on to play professional basketball for the Rheineck Sea Horses in Timaru, New Zealand. He received his M.S. in higher education administration from Syracuse University in 1992.

Hicks, 31, is married to the former Lisa Dooley, a 1988 Le Moyne College graduate, and alumna of Catholic Central High School in Troy. They are the parents of a one-year-old son, Jake.

SOCCER SEASON BEGINS

It was a heartbreaker on Sunday, however, as C.W. Post, which beat Massachusetts-Lowell on Saturday, took two overtimes to beat the Great Danes, 3-2. Albany led 2-1 in regulation until just 55 seconds to go.

Field Hockey also began on Saturday at Albany, with the Lady Danes winning convincingly over C.W. Post, 6-1, with junior forward Nancy Nicsevic snaring two goals and an assist.

Women’s soccer had a rougher outing, losing at Elmira College in a non-conference match, 5-2.

1996-97 Athletes of Year

Vitti and Forrester, both seniors, shared the school’s top male athlete award.

A first-team Football Gazette Div. II All-America, Vitti was also an ECAC North All-Star, and made his second appearance on the All-ECAC Intercollegiate Football Conference team. He ranks fifth all-time on Albany’s career tackles list with 231.

Forrester was a 19-match starter at midfielder in soccer, leading the team with nine goals and six assits. He was also a topflight sprinter on the track team, leading the Danes to the ECAC indoor 880-yard relay and Collegiate Track Conference 400 and 1,600-meter relay championships.

Dodge, a senior, is the first woman to earn All-America honors in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. She was sixth in the 1,500 meters and eighth in the 3,000 at the NCAA Division II outdoor track championships. In addition, she posted the best finish by an eastern runner in the 1996 NCAA cross-country meet: 13th overall in 18:35.1. She took fifth in the NCAA indoor mile, was named NCAA East Region Female Outdoor Track Athlete, and holds nine University records.

All-America Lacrosse

In men’s lacrosse, Tom Alexander (second team) and Mike Kittner (honorable mention) were chosen to the USILA Division II All-America squad. Alexander was a sophomore, Kittner a senior.