SPORTS NEWS

LAFAYETTE ENDS ALBANY'S WINNING STREAK AT SIX STRAIGHT
        Easton, Pa. – Brian Ehlers had 26 points and Tyson Whitfield added 22, as Lafayette won its seventh straight with a 90-70 victory over Albany on Monday, Feb. 7 at Kirby Sports Center.  The Great Danes are off for one week, before facing Rutgers on Feb. 14.
        Lafayette (15-5) led 48-44 with 14:19 remaining, but then scored nine straight points to seize control.  Ehlers, who had 16 first-half points, scored two baskets in that stretch.  Albany (10-14) closed within 59-54 on a three-pointer by Matthew Haggarty, who had 12 points.
        The Leopards, who have lost just once at home this season, regrouped with an 11-2 run to put the game away.  Brian Burke, who scored all 11 of his points from the free throw line, sank seven foul shots in that span.  Stefan Ciosici had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Leopards, who shot 52 percent from the field, including 11-of-18 from three-point range.
        “We played an excellent team, an NCAA caliber team,” Albany coach Scott Hicks said.  “They have good shooters, and hurt us with their offensive rebounding.  We had our chances early in the second half, but missed some free throws and wide-open looks.”
        Todd Cetnar had 26 points to lead the Great Danes, who had their winning streak halted at six straight.  Albany had posted a 67-53 victory over Stony Brook two days earlier before the largest home crowd (4,017) at the Recreation and Convocation Center since March 1994.

ALBANY WOMEN RALLY IN SECOND HALF FOR A 60-57 VICTORY
        Easton, Pa. – Liz Tucker scored 21 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds as Albany rallied in the second half for a 60-57 victory over Lafayette on Monday, Feb. 7 at Kirby Sports Center.  The Great Danes own a three-game win streak.
        Albany (8-14) trailed by as much as 16 points in the final period, and used a 15-6 run to draw even at 54 apiece on Jess McGinlay's fastbreak layup.  The Great Danes went ahead, 57-55, on Tucker's shot in the lane, before Lafayette's Elizabeth Rojahn tied the score with 2:30 remaining.  Rojahn finished with a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds.
        Melissa Schoonover put Albany ahead for the good, when she made the second of two free throws with 20.8 seconds to play.  Tucker added a pair of foul shots 10 seconds later, and Megan Buchanan blocked Rojahn's three-point field goal attempt in the closing moments.
        "I have to give all the credit to the players," Albany coach Mari Warner stated.  "They fought hard to get back into the game.  We had some good possessions down that stretch that decided the game."
        Albany's Megan Buchanan had 11 points, and tied the school's career record with her 117th three-pointer.  Dawn DiMicco was the third UA player in double figures with 10.

ALBANY FINISHES THIRD IN MEN’S RELAY AT MILLROSE GAMES
        New York, N.Y. – Harold Moore ran a strong third leg to help Albany finish third in the men’s 4x400 relay event at the 93rd annual Millrose Games on Friday, Feb. 4 at Madison Square Garden.
        Moore sprinted 52.6 seconds to pass two teams, and Christian Bloomer (Ballston Spa H.S.) held the Great Danes’ position on his anchor leg to post a relay time of 3:33.70.  Colgate was first in 3:27.40, while Lynchburg (Va.) College placed second in 3:29.09.
        In the women’s 4x400 relay, Albany took fifth in 4:08.54, and was more than four seconds behind first-place St. Francis, N.Y. (4:04.01).
        Albany assistant track coach Geoffrey York (Troy H.S.) finished fifth in the men’s 60-meter hurdles.  York, who won five NCAA Division III national titles in the 1990s as a member of the Albany program, ran 7.73 seconds, and was just behind Allen Johnson, the 1996 Olympic champion.  Dominique Arnold, the ’96 NCAA Division I winner, out-dueled current national champion Terrance Trammell, of South Carolina, for first place.  Arnold, who competed for Washington State in college, was timed in 7.51.

ANDREA VIGER SETS SCHOOL RECORD IN 3,000 AT JASPER RELAYS
        New York, N.Y. -- Andrea Viger set a school record in the 3,000-meter run at Manhattan College's Jasper Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 29 at Armory Track & Field Center.  Viger, who finished second in the event, was time in 10:10.53, and eclipsed Tonya Dodge's 1997 record by 23-hundredths of a second.  Dodge is currently a graduate assistant coach on the Albany staff.
        Erica Viger, Andrea's twin sister, placed second in the 1,000, and posted the second-best performance in school annals with a time of 3:04.07.  Dinnah Decatus was fourth in the 800.  She also registered the second fastest time in UA history (2:19.09).
        In the men's competition, Luis Soto was second in the long jump (23-01.25) and Jamie Rodriguez took third in the 3,000 (8:35.97).

JOHAN AARNIO CHOSEN HEAD MEN’S SOCCER COACH
        Albany, N.Y. -- University at Albany Interim Director of Athletics Gail Cummings-Danson announced on Friday, Jan. 28 the hiring of Johan Aarnio as head men’s soccer coach.  Aarnio, who has coached on the collegiate and professional level for nearly 20 years, will move into a position that was recently elevated to full-time status.
        Aarnio served as head soccer coach for men and women at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from 1992-97.  He guided the men’s program to a pair of NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.  His 1996 team posted a 14-3 record and won the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association championship.  As women’s head coach, the Redhawks were a combined 32-12-3 over a three-year period, and captured the ’96 ECAC Mid-Atlantic title with a 16-1 record.
        In the professional ranks, Aarnio was the head coach and director of team operations for the Milwaukee Wave in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) from 1990-92.  He led Milwaukee to one division crown, and coached in the 1991 NPSL All-Star Game.  Aarnio also served as head coach of the NPSL’s Montreal Impact in 1997.  In addition, he was a part of six professional championships, including four consecutive Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) titles, as an assistant coach with the San Diego Shockers during the 1980s.
        Aarnio, 46, earned a bachelor of science in marketing from San Diego State University, where he was a two-year varsity midfielder for the Aztecs.  He received his “A” coaching license from the United States Soccer Federation, and recently worked as a part-time assistant with the Albany men’s soccer program.
        Aarnio replaces Roy Pfeil who stepped down after nine years as Albany’s coach.  Pfeil had an 81-61-15 record and led the Great Danes through a transition from the Division III and Division II level to its current Division I status.  The soccer program became a varsity sport in 1950.
        Albany’s 19-sport intercollegiate athletics program for men and women has upgraded to the NCAA Division I level in 1999-2000.

EILEEN PFEIFFER NAMED DIRECTOR OF ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT
        Albany, N.Y. -- Interim Director of Athletics Gail Cummings-Danson announced on Monday, Jan. 24 the hiring of Eileen Pfeiffer as director of athletic development.  Pfeiffer will head the advancement initiatives designed to provide operational and capital support for the University’s intercollegiate athletics program.
        Pfeiffer, who will have additional duties with respect to external affairs and special events planning, was recently the director of planned giving and research at The College of Saint Rose.  She implemented the College’s charitable gift annuity program, and met its two-year goal in less than one year.  Pfeiffer also increased membership in the planned giving recognition society by forty percent.
        A native of Albany, N.Y., Pfeiffer has been an associate in the Law Offices of E. David Duncan, where she concentrated in the field of insurance defense.  In addition, she was a sole practitioner from 1994-96, and handled trusts and estates law, probate and residential real estate.  She also worked as an associate with Dreyer, Boyajian & Tuttle for nearly two years.
        Pfeiffer, 39, earned a bachelor of science from Cornell University, where she was a four-year member of the basketball team from 1979-83, and currently ranks 14th on the all-time scoring list.  She received her Juris Doctor from Albany Law School of Union University in 1992.
        Pfeiffer, who was a two-sport athlete in basketball and volleyball at Albany High School, is on the board of directors for New York State Special Olympics.  She holds memberships with the New York State Bar Association, Gift Planning Group of Northeastern New York and National Society of Fund Raising Executives.

CUMMINGS-DANSON WILL ENTER TEMPLE’S ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
      Philadelphia, Pa. – University at Albany’s Interim Director of Athletics Gail Cummings-Danson will be inducted into Temple University’s Athletic Hall of Fame as recently announced by the school’s department of athletics.  The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Thursday, Feb. 24.
        Cummings-Danson was an All-America attack on Temple’s 1988 Division I national championship lacrosse team.  She earned All-America honors three straight years, and was MVP of the ’88 national championship and North-South All-Star Game.
        A native of Huntsville, Ontario, Cummings-Danson was a member of the 1993 World Championship squad, and recently became the first woman to be enshrined into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame.  She has competed in four World Championships, and played for the USA and Canadian national teams.
        Cummings-Danson, who was also a member of Temple’s field hockey team, was selected as a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American and was a NCAA Top Six finalist.
        The other Temple Athletic Hall of Fame inductees are:  Tim Perry, the 1988 Atlantic-10 player of the year in basketball, Jeff Manto, who played for seven Major League Baseball teams in the 1990s, Donna Kennedy (basketball), Pete Lorenc (baseball, soccer), and Paul Palmer (football).

HEAD FOOTBALL COACH BOB FORD NAMED AFCA PRESIDENT
        Anaheim, Calif. – University at Albany head football coach Bob Ford was named as president of the American Football Coaches Association on Tuesday, Jan. 11.  Ford, who moves up from first vice-president, was elected by AFCA members attending the Association's 2000 national convention.
        "I got in this business because people had a hand on me and pushed me in the right direction.  The great thing about the American Football Coaches Association is that it is not devoted to large names in Division I, but devoted to all coaches at every level," said Ford, who has served on the AFCA Board of Trustees since 1994.  "The fact that someone could come up from the Division III level and become president of the AFCA is a great honor and I accept it with tremendous humility."
        Ford, 62, recently completed his 27th varsity season at Albany, where he led the Great Danes to a 7-2 record in its inaugural NCAA Division I-AA campaign.  His record stands at 165-102 as the UA head coach.  Ford has a 174-124-1 overall mark in 31 seasons as a collegiate mentor.
        The AFCA, founded in 1922 by Amos Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman and others, has more than 8,000 members from all levels of the profession.  Past AFCA presidents include Paul "Bear" Bryant (1972), Ben Schwartzwalder (1967), Woody Hayes (1963), Darrell Royal (1975), Bo Schembechler (1983), and Don Nehlen (1997).

ALEX BARNHILL TRANSFERS TO ALBANY BASKETBALL PROGRAM
        Albany, N.Y. -- Head men’s basketball coach Scott Hicks recently announced that former area high school star Alex Barnhill has transferred into the program.  Barnhill, who originally attended Canisius College, will be eligible to play at the end of the 2000 fall semester.
        Barnhill, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound forward, appeared in 25 games during the 1998-99 season for Canisius, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.  He spent the previous year at Bridgton Academy in Maine, where he led the program to a 20-11 record and an appearance in the New England Prep School Tournament for the first time in seven years.  Barnhill averaged 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds, and was an All-New England Class A Prep selection.
        A native of Schenectady, N.Y., Barnhill was a fifth-team Class A all-state choice and a first-team All-Area pick by the Albany Times Union and Daily Gazette.  As a senior, he averaged 15.0 points and 11.0 rebounds at Schenectady High School.  Barnhill played at Gloversville (N.Y.) High School as a junior, and contributed 13.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

THREE ALBANY PLAYERS ON FIELD HOCKEY ALL-ACADEMIC SQUAD
        Glen Allen, Va. – The University at Albany placed three players on the 1999 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I National Academic Squad.  Mariah Martin, a junior tri-captain, leads the group with a 3.91 cumulative grade point average.  She has a major in business administration with a minor in economics.  Amy DiMicco (3.77, business administration) and Sonia Savino (3.72, psychology) were also selected.
        Martin, who played on a defense which allowed 1.79 goals per game, led the Great Danes to an 11-4 record in their inaugural Division I campaign.  She was a regular in all 15 contests, and scored two goals.
        DiMicco, a sophomore forward, was third on the team with 26 points, including 11 goals and four assists.  She established the school’s single-season freshman scoring record one year ago.  Savino, a sophomore, posted a 3.28 goals against average as a reserve goalkeeper.

BILLY VAN JURA NAMED TO ECAC DIVISION I-AA ALL-STAR TEAM
        Centerville, Mass. – University at Albany’s Billy Van Jura has been chosen to the ECAC Division I-AA All-Star Football Team as announced today by the conference office.  Van Jura, a senior offensive lineman, was a second-team selection.
        Van Jura, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound lineman, made 32 consecutive starts at left guard in his three seasons as a regular.  An All-Northeast Conference choice, Van Jura blocked for an offense that ranks 13th in scoring at 37.0 points per game and 26th in total offense (424.1 yards/game) among the national leaders.

FIVE FOOTBALL PLAYERS NAMED TO NEC ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
        Piscataway, N.J. – Five Albany football standouts have been selected to the Northeast Conference’s Fall Academic Honor Roll.  Junior offensive lineman J.T Herfurth, a two-year starter at left tackle, leads the list with a 3.84 cumulative grade point average in sociology.  The conference recognized 248 student-athletes at member institutions.
        Other Great Danes chosen were senior linebacker Ryan Tumbry (3.43, business administration), junior fullback Ben Kelcey (3.53, mathematics), senior roverback Greg Green (3.31, finance/management information systems), and senior defensive tackle Brian Campe (3.38, business administration).

WNYT-TV WILL AIR ALBANY BASKETBALL PROGRAM FOR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
      Albany, N.Y. -- WNYT-TV (NewsChannel 13) has reached an agreement with the University at Albany to air "Hoop Games-Great Danes Basketball" for the fourth consecutive year.  The 30-minute television program will be seen on 10 occasions from December through the first weekend in March.  Each show will be broadcast on Sunday mornings at 11:30 a.m.
        Rodger Wyland, the evening sports anchor at WNYT-TV, will host the program.  Men's head coach Scott Hicks and women's head coach Mari Warner will be featured along with player guests and sports-related human interest segments.
        The first shows are scheduled for December 12 and 19, and then after a three-week break will resume on January 16, 2000.

GREVER NAMED NEC'S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR IN FOOTBALL
        Piscataway, N.J.. -- Senior linebacker Mike Grever was chosen the 1999 Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year in football, and was among five players selected to the All-NEC first team as announced on Dec. 2 by the conference office.
        Grever led the Great Danes with 88 tackles, including seven for losses and 1.5 sacks, and added three interceptions, five pass break-ups and two blocked kicks.  A 5-foot-11, 215-pound defender, Grever spearheaded a defensive unit that ranked 15th among the Division I-AA national leaders in scoring at 17.3 points per game.  He finished his career as Albany's all-time tackles leader with 351, and had 24 career games with double-figure tackles.
        Joining Grever on the first team were split end Chris Phillis, tight end Steve Checksfield, right tackle Jason Barra and free safety Samson Brown.
        Senior tailback Greg Garrett, the school's career rushing leader with 2,958 yards, and five other Great Danes were named to the All-NEC second team.  Cornerback Jelani Dandles, left tackle J.T. Herfurth, left guard Billy Van Jura, outside linebacker Robert Anderson and defensive tackle Chris Wilgosz were picked by the conference's coaches.
        Albany completed its first season at the I-AA level with a 7-2 record, and placed second in the conference with a 6-1 mark.

ALBANY JOINS ATLANTIC SOCCER CONFERENCE IN 2000
        Albany, N.Y. -- University at Albany's Interim Director of Athletics Gail Cummings-Danson announced today that the men's soccer program will join the Atlantic Soccer Conference, a new NCAA Division I conference, for the 2000-2001 academic year.  In addition to Albany, the nine-member league includes Adelphi University, Binghamton University, Florida International University, Hartwick College, Howard University, Oneonta State University, Philadelphia University, and the University at Stony Brook.
        "This is a great opportunity for the nine members of the Atlantic Soccer Conference," said Philadelphia University Director of Athletics Tom Shirley, who will serve as the conference's president.  "In the past, it was a monumental task making the NCAA Tournament as a Division I independent.  But with the new league, in two years we will have a guaranteed NCAA Tournament play-in game. In addition, if the tournament goes to 48 teams, which is a possibility, the league will be guaranteed an automatic bid."
        Atlantic Soccer Conference programs have strong traditions.  Hartwick has made 22 NCAA appearances during its history, and captured the national title in 1977.  Florida International was the 1996 national runner-up, while Philadelphia University has made 16 trips to the NCAA Tournament.
        "Conference affiliation for our men's soccer program provides an opportunity to play for a conference championship, and eases the scheduling burden," Cummings-Danson said.  "Since all nine schools competed as independents this year, it makes sense to join forces with a common goal in mind."
        Albany finished 6-11-1 in its first NCAA Division I campaign this season.