Sports Talk
By Brian DePasquale
Mueller Named Baseball Coach
University at Albany Director of Athletics and Recreation Lee McElroy has announced the hiring of Jon Mueller as head baseball coach. Mueller was elevated from part-time to full-time status following a national search. He guided Albany to a 19-24-1 record in its first NCAA Division I campaign last spring.

Mueller, who has played on the minor league professional level since 1994 with the Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs, Adirondack Lumberjacks and Marshall (Minn.) Mallards, also announced his retirement as an active player, effective immediately.

“Jon Mueller has proved over the last year that he has the qualities needed to manage a successful Division I baseball program,” McElroy said. “He is committed to both the student-athlete and the University’s academic mission. In addition, he is a valued member of the Capital Region community through his work with the Diamond Dogs and as a teacher.”

A 6-foot-5, 245-pound infielder and designated hitter, Mueller posted a career .282 batting average with 74 home runs, 318 RBIs and a .480 slugging percentage. He led Albany-Colonie to the 1999 Northern League Championship with a Most Valuable Player performance, and also earned MVP honors in the Northern League’s East championship series. Mueller was the 2000 Northern League All-Star Game MVP, and was one of five Diamond Dogs chosen to participate.

A native of Stillwater, Mueller was an UAlbany volunteer assistant in 1999, when the Great Danes went 21-21 overall and made an ECAC Division II championship final appearance. He was the head junior varsity coach at the College of Saint Rose in 1993-94, and has been a teacher/instructor with Mechanicville City Schools, Saratoga BOCES and the Duanesburg School District.

Mueller, 30, received a B.S. in sociology from Eckerd College in Florida, and has a master’s degree in secondary education from Saint Rose.

Herfurth Chosen to Academic All-America Football Squad
UAlbany’s J.T. Herfurth has been named to the Verizon University Division Academic All-America Football Team, as announced on Dec. 6, in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Herfurth, who has a 3.87 cumulative grade point average in sociology, is the fourth player in UAlbany history to earn national first-team all-academic honors. Thomas Higgins (1986, ’87), Rich Tallarico (’94) and Andy Shein (’95) were chosen on the college division level.

A 6-foot-6, 300-pound left tackle, Herfurth was a first-team All-Northeast Conference selection this season, and will play in the Hula Bowl All-Star Classic on Jan. 20. He blocked for an offense that ranked among the nation’s Division I-AA leaders in rushing at 215.2 yards per game and scoring (31.1 ppg). Albany accounted for 400-plus total yards in six of its last seven games, and tailback Brian Manigault established the school’s single-season rushing record.

Herfurth, who has a minor in psychology, and is a three-time District I all-academic choice, plans a career in law enforcement. He joins Purdue quarterback Drew Brees on the first-team offense. Brees, the 2000 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Heisman Trophy finalist, was tabbed as the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year.

Eight UAlbany Football Players on All-NEC Team
Senior offensive tackle J.T. Herfurth and sophomore free safety Samson Brown lead a group of eight UAlbany players who have been chosen for the 2000 All-Northeast Conference Football Team, as announced on Wednesday, Nov. 29, by the conference office.

Joining Herfurth and Brown on the first-team unit were linebacker Josh Bazan, defensive tackle Jason Martin and offensive guard Rafael Cruz. Split end Chris Phillis, offensive guard Alex Argulewicz, and tailback Brian Manigault were second-team selections for the Great Danes, who finished 5-6 overall and were 5-3 in the NEC.

Herfurth, who will play in the 2001 Hula Bowl All-Star Classic on Jan. 20, and Brown, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound defender, make their second straight appearance on the All-NEC squad. Herfurth, a ’99 second-team choice, blocked for an offense that is ranked 14th nationally in rushing (215.2 yards/game) and 32nd in scoring at 31.1 points per game. Brown, a first-team pick as a freshman, made 82 tackles (58 solo), and added four pass break-ups and two fumble recoveries.

Bazan, a 6-foot, 211-pound inside linebacker, led the Great Danes in tackles (109), hits for loss (18), sacks (6.0), fumble recoveries (4) and fumbles forced (4). At 6-foot-1 and 285 pounds, Martin had 47 tackles and 3.5 sacks for minus-38 yards. Cruz, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound senior, started all 11 games at right guard.

Phillis, a junior captain, is a member of the All-NEC team for the second consecutive year. Phillis hauled in 49 receptions for 856 yards and eight touchdowns, and accounted for 1,039 all-purpose yards. His reception and receiving yard totals were both the third-best single-season marks in school history.

Manigault set UAlbany’s single-season rushing record with 1,041 yards, breaking a mark established by Dave Soldini in 1984. Manigault, who rushed for 100 or more yards in four games this year, also broke season records for touchdowns (15), rushing TDs (15) and scoring with 90 points. Argulewicz, a 6-foot-1, 290-pound sophomore, was a starter at left guard in his first season as regular on the offensive line.

Women’s Basketball Edges Navy
Senior Liz Tucker scored a season-high 27 points and hit a running shot in the lane with eight seconds remaining to lift UAlbany past Navy, 57-56, in the second round of the 18th annual Hatter Classic on Dec. 9 at Stetson University’s Edmunds Center.

Albany (2-7) led the entire game until Navy’s Adrienne Rosetti canned a jumper to give her team a 52-51 advantage with 4:37 remaining. The Mids still were ahead, 56-54, after Lisa Steinmetz split a pair of free throws.

Albany’s Cara Caffell made the second of two foul shots to inch her team closer, before Maile Shimoda missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity with 18 seconds to play.

After the Great Danes called timeout, Tucker, who made 8 of 12 field goals, received the ball near mid-court, drove into the lane, and connected on a 10-foot runner.

“I told myself I was going to make the shot,” said Tucker, whose club dropped a 75-64 decision to Stetson on Friday in the first round.

The Great Danes, who shot 54.2 percent from the field in the opening half, built a 43-32 cushion with 15:36 left in the contest. However, Navy (2-5) put together a 12-2 run over a four-minute span to get back into the contest. Jennifer Bombinski, who finished with a team-high 19 points, totaled five markers in the spurt.

Rosetti, a 6-foot-1 freshman, added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Albany’s Caffell had nine points and six rebounds.

The Great Danes dropped a 75-64 decision to Stetson in the Hatter Classic’s first round on Dec. 8. Kaisa Tuure scored 18 points and Amy White added 13. Albany’s Kathryn Hemlock, a freshman guard, netted a career-high 14 points to go with five assists and four steals in her first start as a collegian.

Indoor Track
Ronald Edmundson and Marlon Monroe went one-two in the men’s triple jump to qualify for the IC4A championships in a six-school meet on Dec. 9 at the Boston University Armory. The Great Danes were third in both the men’s and women’s team standings.

Edmundson went 47-feet, 7-inches to win the competition, while Monroe was second in 47-06.25. Jamie Rodriguez was first in the 3,000-meter run in 8:31.68, while Alex Rodriques sprinted 6.51 seconds to win the 55-meter dash.

Freshman Jessica Walton finished third in the women’s 1,000 meters, but set a school record with a time of 2:58.84. She shattered a mark set by Tonya Dodge in 1994. Cherice’ Vanderhall captured top honors in the shot put with a mark of 39-02.50. Raphaelle Jean and Erin Goddard placed second in the 55-meter high hurdles and mile run, respectivel

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