SPORTS TALK

 Lacrosse Youth Day
    The University at Albany will host Lacrosse Youth Day on Saturday, April 15, at Varsity Field on campus. The event issponsored in conjunction with WXXA-TV (FOX 23), the Gazette Newspapers, and the Albany Attack professional lacrosse team. Admission is free.
    The day’s activities feature a Division I men’s and women's college lacrosse doubleheader. The Albany women face Manhattan at 10:30 a.m., while the men tangle with Yale at 1:30 p.m.  The Capital Region’s newest professional sports team, the Albany Attack, will be available from 12:30 to 1:30 for a photograph and autograph session. 
All area high school coaches and players as well as local community youth groups are welcome to attend this event.  For more information, contact the University’s athletic marketing and corporate sales office at (518) 442-3318.

Spring Football
    The University at Albany football program began spring practice on Sunday, April 2. The 15-session schedule continues through Saturday, May 6, when the annual intrasquad scrimmage is conducted at University Field.
    Head coach Bob Ford has 35 letterwinners returning, including five  starters on offense and four on defense. “We have three primary objectives this spring,” said Ford. “We need to find a quarterback, identify who will be in the rotation on both the offensive and defensive lines, and take a look at the younger players in the secondary.”
    Ryan Roeder, Marcus Rotondi and Ryan Diamond will get an opportunity to show their skills during the spring.
    All-NEC split end Chris Phillis led the Great Danes with 33 receptions for 635 yards and six touchdowns, and was also the team’s top punt returner. Ben Kelcey, who rushed for 278 yards and two TDs, and caught 10 passes for 124 yards and two scores, was a nine-game starter at fullback. Left tackle J.T. Herfurth, an all-conference choice, anchors the UA offensive line.
    The Great Danes will build around two All-NEC defensive backs in free safety Samson Brown and cornerback Jelani Dandles. Brown made 62 tackles as a red-shirt freshman, while Dandles had 32 tackles and two interceptions.  Roverback Andrew Fitzpatrick and defensive tackle Jason Martin were also regulars on defense.

Men’s Lacrosse
    Senior attackman Dan Small scored a career-high seven goals as Albany posted its first win as a Division I program with a 15-9 victory over Boston College on April 8 at Varsity Field.
    Albany (1-3) led 9-8 late in the third quarter, but then reeled off six unanswered goals.  Sal Massa dodged an Eagle defender and ripped a shot past goalkeeper Tom Gallagher to start the run with 2:25 left in the period.
    The Great Danes, who had not played since March 25, scored three times within a one-minute-and-23-second span early in the fourth stanza. Small tallied his seventh of the game, the most by an Albany player since 1992, for an 11-8 advantage, before Rich Angel and Adam Gelman found the net en route to a five-goal cushion. Boston College (1-5) rallied from a 4-1 first-quarter deficit to take a 6-5 lead on an extra-man goal by Tom Smith. The Great Danes still trailed 7-6 with 11:17 remaining in the third, but Small scored two of the game’s next three goals to put his team ahead for good. 
    Albany’s Jim Lindsay had two goals and five assists, while goalkeeper Mike Shelli made 14 saves. Jason Wren led the Eagles with four goals, while Andy Koch had two goals and two assists.

Track & Field
    Luis Soto and Ronald Edmundson won the long jump and triple jump, respectively, and each athlete was a member of the winning 4x100-meter relay, as Albany won the men's competition in a five-school meet on Saturday at University Field. Vermont was first in the women’s team standings, while Albany was third.
    The Great Danes won seven individual events and had two first-place relays in the men’s meet.  Head coach Roberto Vives recorded his 300th career win in dual-meet competition, and has a 301-78 record in his 15th season.
    Soto went 23-feet, 9.50-inches in the long jump, while Edmundson’s best mark in the triple jump was 48-01.25. They ran the first and second legs on the 4x100 relay, which was clocked in 42.96 seconds. 
    Tony Davidson sprinted 49.66 to win the 400-dash, and was a member of the first-place 4x400 relay.
    Other Albany winners were Jeffrey Brooks (5,000), Rob Garren (pole vault), Mark Sutter (discus) and Charles Young (110-meter hurdles). Ashley Couper (800, 1,500) and Regan Coffey (100, 200) each won two events to lead Vermont to the women’s team title.  Albany’s Onieka Randall was first across the line in the 400-dash with a personal-best 57.03. Tamirah Haywood and Sarah Best posted victories in the 400-hurdles and pole vault, respectively. The Great Danes were also first in 4x400 relay, as the unit of Haywood, Randall, Tammy Freeman and Facunda Knight was timed in 3:57.01. 

Softball
    Sophomore pitcher Sarah Maida fired a three-hit shutout in the opener to lead Albany to a doubleheader sweep over Iona last Saturday at Pinebrook Field.  The Great Danes, who have won six of their last seven starts, posted a 2-0 victory in the first game, and took the nightcap, 4-2.
    Maida tied a season-high with nine strikeouts and walked two en route  to her seventh victory of the season. Debbie Hodge and Stacy Kowal  each had RBI singles. Audrey White doubled twice, and scored in the  sixth inning.
    In the second game, shortstop Valerie Terry went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and a sacrifice hit. Terry had a bunt single and scored in her team’s four-run third frame.  April Kuryluk (Albany H.S.) had a run-scoring single and Kowal added a sacrifice fly in the inning. Jessica Hansen improved to 7-1 on the mound by scattering four hits for Albany, who improved to 15-4 overall.

Women’s Lacrosse
    The Great Danes are 3-3 to date in their first season as a Division I program.  Freshman Maria Ferrucci recently established the school’s single-game scoring record with six goals and three assists in a 20-4 victory over Siena on March 31.  Ferrucci is ranked 16th in goals (3.17 per game) and 18th in scoring (3.83 points/game) among the Division I national leaders.  Dawn DiMicco, UA’s career assists leader, is third nationally in assists per game (2.33).