Tracksters Shine in Puerto Rico
Luis Soto and Samantha Cohen posted school records in the men�s long jump and women�s 3,000-meter racewalk to highlight Albany�s performance at the Carolina Invitational in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last week.
Nine athletes won individual titles, while three Great Dane relay teams were first across the line at Municipal Stadium. Albany�s 4x100 men�s relay was also invited to compete at the LAI National Relays at Sixto Escobar Stadium. Greg Miller, a freshman from Albany High School, ran the lead-off leg for a unit which sprinted to a first-place finish in 41.88 seconds.
At the Carolina Invitational, Soto, a Puerto Rican native, leaped 24-feet, 2-inches to break a mark previously held by Anthony Davenport, who jumped 23-11.75 in 1995. Cohen shattered her own racewalk standard by nearly 14 seconds, and covered the distance in 14:09.64.
Halim Wise won the 400-dash in 48.54, and anchored the winning 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Xiomara Davila Diaz was a triple-winner in the 100-hurdles (14.34), 400-hurdles (1:03.14) and triple jump (35-7), and ran the third leg on the first-place 4x100 relay.
Janna Johnston, a junior from Clifton Park, N.Y., took first in both the long jump and high jump. Her mark of 18-6.5 in the long jump was just 2.5 inches off the late Kimberly Toone�s school record. Other Albany winners were Andrea Viger (women� s 3,000), Ronald Edmundson (triple jump), Brendan Howell (men�s 3,000), and Vazquez in the men�s 400-hurdles.
Football Coach Ford A VP
Head coach Bob Ford has been elected third vice-president of the American Football Coaches Association. Ford, the 1997 GTE Region I and Eastern Football Conference Coach of the Year, has a 157-121-1 record in 29 varsity seasons.
The 1998 AFCA officers include president Roy Kidd of Eastern Kentucky University, first vice-president Rocky Rees of Shippensburg (Pa.) University and second vice-president Bobby Bowden of Florida State University.
Duncan a Basketball All-America
Andre Duncan has been named to the 1997-98 Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America Basketball Team.
Duncan, a 6-foot-6 forward, was voted to the third team by the nation�s sports information directors. His is the fourth player in the Albany basketball program�s history to earn All-America honors. Dick Crossett (1964-65), Rich Margison (1968-69) and Jason Graber (1993-94) were honorable-mention selections at the College Division and Division III levels.
"All-America recognition is a tremendous accomplishment for Andre," said Albany coach Scott Hicks, whose team posted a 19-8 record in his first season. "He was recruited as a Division III player and became the MVP in a full-scholarship Division II conference. Good things happen to those who work hard."
Duncan, a senior from Monticello, N.Y., was picked in February as the New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, and led the conference in scoring (19.3 ppg), rebounding (8.6 pg) and blocked shots (2.1 pg). Earlier this month, Duncan was chosen first-team All-Northeast Region, All-ECAC-North, and to the NABC All-District squad.
He ended his career ranked fifth among the Great Danes� all-time scorers with 1,453 points, and finished first in blocked shots (184) and ninth in rebounding (696).
Nikas� 50th Leads Lacrosse in S.C.
Senior midfielder Rafaela Nikas scored a career-high five goals, including her 50th as a collegian, in leading Albany to a 15-8 victory over Longwood (Va.) College in Gaffney, S.C., last Saturday. The Great Danes opened their schedule the previous day with an 11-7 win over Limestone College.
Nikas tallied four opening-period goals to stake her club to a 6-4 halftime advantage against Longwood. The Lancers were still within 8-6, when the Great Danes exploded for five consecutive goals. Sophomore Dawn DiMicco, a preseason College Lacrosse USA first-team All-America midfielder, netted two of her four goals in that stretch.
Nikas and DiMicco each scored four times in the season opener versus Limestone, while Jess Spadafora added two goals and one assist in the contest. Albany, ranked eighth in last week�s Brine/IWLCA Division II national poll, meets Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on March 26.
Men�s Lacrosse Split First Two
Sophomore attackman Dan Small scored three times and John Baumann added two goals and two assists as Albany opened its 1998 schedule with an 11-3 victory over Merrimack in Gaffney, South Carolina on March 19.
The Great Danes suffered a 13-6 setback at Limestone College two days later.
Albany's pre-season College Lacrosse USA
all-American defenseman Tom Alexander, center.Carl Gravano, who had two goals and one assist, and Baumann each found the net twice in the first half in the opener, giving Albany a 4-1 lead at the intermission.
Mike McCarthy, a senior from Clifton Park who led the squad in scoring with 42 points last year, and Small each added a pair of goals in the third quarter. Gary Lockwood had 17 saves in the UA cage.
Defenseman Tom Alexander has been chosen to the College Lacrosse USA preseason Division II All-America first-team. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior earned second-team USILA All-America honors and was a Capital District College Lacrosse League All-Star one year ago. McCarthy and Lockwood were preseason honorable mention All-America selections.
Softball Goes 7-2 in Florida
Kelly Poynton fired a one-hitter in the nightcap as Albany swept a non-conference doubleheader from Concordia (N.Y.) College last Saturday at the Florida Coast Spring Training Camp. The Great Danes, who went 7-2 overall during their week in Fort Pierce, won the second game, 6-1, and the first, 8-7.
Poynton, a junior right-hander, improved to 3-1 on the season by allowing just a fifth-inning single and an unearned run in the sixth. She recorded five strikeouts and three walks. Meanwhile, Erin Craig and Kara Faraone belted back-to-back triples to a start a four-run fourth frame. Kate Carnevale had three hits, and Amy McGroty was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.
In the opener, freshman Anne Bink lined a two-run double to key a third inning in which the Great Danes scored five times. Concordia closed within 8-7 in the sixth on Jane Weis� RBI single. Albany reliever Jessica Hansen stopped threats in the last two innings by forcing a groundout with the tying run aboard on both occasions.
Baseball Dodges Virginia Rains for 2-3 Mark
Chris Robilotti, a sophomore from Albany, singled, doubled, and drove in two runs as the Great Danes rallied for a 6-5 victory over Springfield College in Virginia Beach, Virginia last Saturday. Albany completed their brief spring trip, due to the weather conditions, with a 2-3 record.
Robilotti and Jeff Rossiter, who was 2-for-3 at the plate, sparked their club�s come-from-behind triumph. The Danes had dropped close decisions to Tufts (5-3) and Virginia Wesleyan (7-4) earlier in the day.
In the season opener on March 18th, senior outfielder Heath Mullen slugged two doubles and drove in two runs to lead Albany past Endicott College, 11-4. Mullen drilled a two-run double into the left field gap to highlight a third inning in which his team plated seven runners. Steve Checksfield and Michael Oliva each belted triples in that decisive frame.
