Sports Talk
Basketball Tournament Raises More Than $40,000 for Stephen Mulderry Fund
By Greta Petry
Last month UAlbany alumni and friends of Stephen V. Mulderry donned sweats and sneakers to raise more than $40,000 for a fund established in his name. Mulderry, a former UAlbany basketball captain, lost his life in the World Trade Center tragedy on September 11. Mulderry played basketball from 1987-1990 and graduated in 1992.

On March 9, the first Stephen Mulderry Memorial Basketball tournament was held at Basketball City in Manhattan. Ten men’s teams competed. Participating UAlbany alumni included Bryan Cartwright, Rich Dormer, Rob Feigenbaum, Rob Greene, Tom Keane, Pete Pedro, Mark Sparber, Kevin Spencer, Rob Stone, Stephen Tobias, Dave Zuklie, and Mark Zuklie, according to Stacy Blatt, who helped publicize the event.

Family, friends, and other alumni also attended both the basketball tournament and a post-reception. Team and Most Valuable Player awards were part of the ceremonies.

“Stephen, or ‘Zip,’ as he was known, was much more than a basketball player . . . but, then again, so much of his personality could be seen through the many leagues, tournaments, and pick-up games he played,” said Blatt. “Basketball was the outlet for Stephen’s endless energy. It was the foundation for learning the significance of teamwork, the power of inclusiveness, and the satisfaction of achieving a common goal. Further-more, it was the bridge that allowed him to cross a community’s socioeconomic and racial lines. And it was the common thread that helped build trust in his work with children, on and off the court.”

She continued, “Along with so many other lives, Stephen was lost on September 11. While the intangibles of his spirit live on in all of us whom he touched, it is our hope that we can harness the strength of our love and admiration for him to find more tangible ways for his spirit to endure. To accomplish this, the Stephen Mulderry Memorial Fund (a division of Community Fund Inc.) was created.”

The fund is designed to help strengthen communities by providing recreational resources and educational opportunities for underprivileged youths.

Tax-deductible donations may be sent, payable to “The Stephen Mulderry Memorial Fund,” to: Andrew Mulderry, c/o Thomas H. Lee Company, 75 State St., 26th floor, Boston, Mass., 02109.

Update Sports
By Brian DePasquale
Men’s Lacrosse Wins Second Straight in Conference Play
Chris Driscoll scored four goals and Michael Solazzo added three goals and two assists to power UAlbany past Binghamton, 16-2, in an America East Conference contest on April 6 at Varsity Field.

Solazzo, a sophomore attackman, played a role in all of his team’s scoring in the opening period. He set up Brendan Russell and Randy Donaldson for a 2-0 advantage before finding the net off Luke Daquino’s feed from behind the cage with 4:44 left in the stanza.

Daquino, who had two goals and tied a career-high with four assists, scored twice in a four-goal second quarter. The freshman attacker tallied his 14th goal of the season from the top of the crease to give his team a 7-0 lead at halftime.

UAlbany (4-5, AE 2-0) posted back-to-back victories in conference play by racking up seven goals in the third period. Driscoll scored three times, including his team-leading 16th goal, while Solazzo found the net twice.

Freshman goalkeeper Toby Scalone registered a career-high 21 saves for Binghamton (1-5, AE 0-2). Andrew Verkey and Craig Reynolds were the Bearcats’ goal scorers. UAlbany’s Jon Smith added two goals and two assists, as his team totaled 57 shots on the cage.

Women’s Lacrosse Rallies From Six-Goal Deficit
Maria Ferrucci scored the go-ahead goal with three minutes and seven seconds remaining, as UAlbany rallied in the second half for an 11-9 victory over Holy Cross on April 3 in the Great Danes’ home opener at Varsity Field.

Holy Cross (4-7) built a 6-0 lead late in the opening period, when Heather Bryce converted off a crossing pass from Justine Reeber. Junior attack Erin Rowse, who had three goals and one assist, and Reeber each scored twice in that span.

UAlbany (2-5) trailed 6-2 at halftime, but came from behind in the final stanza behind the play of junior attacker Andrea Esposito, who did all of her scoring in the period with three goals and one assist. Amanda Heller’s free-position goal tied the contest at seven apiece with 18:37 left.

The Great Danes would eventually take a 9-8 lead, when Alexis DiDomenico tallied her fourth goal of the game. Holy Cross drew even with 4:53 remaining, as Susan MacWilliams found the net on a play that originated off a turnover in the midfield.

Ferrucci, who had two goals and two assists, put her team back on top for good, when she beat goalkeeper Kellaigh Malangone to the right side on a free-position shot. Ferrucci added her 12th goal of the season for insurance as time expired.

Tracksters Compete in North Carolina During Spring Break
Freshman Kristof Molnar anchored the men’s 4x800-meter relay to an eighth-place finish with an IC4A-qualifying time at the 2002 Adidas Raleigh Relays on March 30 at North Carolina State’s Paul H. Derr Track. More than 3,000 athletes from 110 schools competed in the two-day meet.

UAlbany posted a time of 7:43.02 to qualify for the IC4A championships at Princeton University on May 16-19. Molnar ran the anchor leg in one minute and 52 seconds, and was joined on the relay by Noel Campbell, Ike Cherry, and Szabolcs Molnar.

Adam Rice was third in his section of the 3,000-meter steeplechase with an IC4A-qualifying mark of 9:14.84. UAlbany’s 4x100 relay also beat the IC4A standard, and placed 17th overall. The squad of Kenrick McBean, Alix Rodriques, Dustin Wilson, and Jesse Bennett sprinted 41.91 seconds. In addition, Rob Harrison finished 11th in the triple jump with a leap of 46-feet, 3.25-inches.

In the women’s competition, Meghan Howell ran a personal-best 4:46.83 in the 1,500-meter run to take 35th place. Nicole Susser was 41st in a field of 127 runners in 4:49.21. The 4x100 relay was clocked in 48.82, and narrowly missed the ECAC-qualifying standard. The sprint medley relay ran 4:08.03, and was nearly one second off the existing school record.

Football Begins Spring Practice Sessions
UAlbany began spring football practice on April 6. Head football coach Bob Ford has 39 lettermen, including 14 starters, returning from the 2001 squad. The 15-session schedule runs through May 4, with most practices on the Western Avenue fields.

UAlbany finished 7-3 in its third NCAA Division I-AA campaign in 2001. The Great Danes posted a 5-2 mark in Northeast Conference play, and tied for third place in the standings. Eight starters are back on a defense that ranked 17th in rushing (111.0 yards/game) and 22nd in scoring (19.5 points/game) among the I-AA national leaders. Six offensive starters return from a group that averaged 357.9 total yards, including 182.6 yards on the ground.

“We need to address our physical toughness, and will probably do more hitting this spring than in past years,” said Ford, who has registered 177 career victories in 29 varsity seasons as UAlbany’s head coach. “We should be a decent football team, but every team has questions to be answered. I am concerned about the wide receiver position, and there are several young players who need to step up and challenge.”

The Great Danes open their 2002 schedule at defending national champion Montana on September 7.

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