SPORTS TALK

 Football Wins Season Finale
    Senior tailback Greg Garrett rushed for a season-high 117 yards and two touchdowns to lead Albany to a 41-0 Northeast Conference victory over Sacred Heart in the Great Danes' season finale on Saturday, Nov. 6 at University Field.
    Albany (7-2, NEC 6-1) finished with seven or more victories in four straight years for the first time in the program's history. The Great Danes were 10-1 and 11-1, respectively, the last two seasons, 
and went 7-3 in 1996.
    “This four-year run is a credit to the seniors,” Albany coach Bob Ford said.  “They have great chemistry, they are good football players, but more importantly they're great people.”
    Quarterbacks Eric Williams and Michael Oliva threw touchdown passes 
on back-to-back first-quarter drives for a 14-0 lead.  Williams fired a 45-yard strike to split end Michael Ettz, before Oliva hit Jonathan Garrick with a 28-yard scoring pass.
    Garrett, the school's all-time leading rusher with 2,958 yards, capped a 10-play march with an 8-yard touchdown run. Oliva's 3-yard scramble to paydirt handed the Great Danes a 28-0 advantage with 10 seconds left before halftime.
DANE NOTES: Linebacker Mike Grever tied a season-high with 14 tackles, and became the school's all-time leader with 351 ... Albany's senior class, a group of 22 athletes, posted a combined 35-7 record over the last four seasons ... Garrett set career records for touchdowns (33) and scoring (204 points) ...

Cross Country Teams Return to NCAA Post-Season Competition
    Sophomore Jamie Rodriguez finished in 32nd place as the Albany men's cross country team was 13th in a field of 33 squads at the NCAA Division I Northeast Regional on Saturday, Nov. 13 at Franklin Park.  This was the first NCAA post-season competition for any Albany program since 1997, as the Great Danes were ineligible during the mandatory two-year Division I transition period. Rodriguez covered the 10,000-meter course in 31:03. Mike Kiernan was 60th in 31:42, and all five UA runners placed in the top-100.  Iona edged out Providence for the regional team title.
    In the women's event, Albany's Nicole Herring placed 83rd with a time of 18:45 over the 5,000-meter layout. The Great Danes were 23rd among 34 teams.  Providence's Heather Cappello was first in 17:12, and led the Friars to the regional championship.

Men’s Basketball Tunes up with Exhibition Victory
    Freshman guard Sam Hopes scored 14 points to pace four players in double figures, as Albany rallied in the second half for an 81-70 exhibition victory over McMaster (Ontario) on Thursday, Nov. 11, at the Recreation and Convocation Center. The Great Danes rebounded from a 46-45 deficit early in the second half with 11 of the game's next 12 points to go ahead for good. Matthew Haggarty, who had 13 points off the bench, hit a three-point field goal in that run, while Karim Ouattara added two baskets.
Albany, which shot 58 percent from the field in the second half, pushed the lead to 66-51 with 8:18 remaining, when Hopes canned a three-pointer and Ouattara hit a follow shot in the lane.  The 6-foot-7 sophomore finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Todd Cetnar, a senior guard, was the fourth Albany player in double digits with 13 points.  Graham Hewitt had 12 points and six rebounds for the Marauders.  The Great Danes, who will compete at the NCAA Division I level for the first time, open their regular-season schedule on Nov. 19 against Central Connecticut State in the first round of the Mohegan Sun Classic.
DANE NOTES: The Albany women's basketball team also begins its schedule on Nov. 19 at Iona. The Great Danes face Wagner in their home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m. Megan Buchanan scored 14 points in an 71-46 exhibition victory against Nor'Easter Storm AAU on Nov. 2. Freshman guard Jess McGinlay (10 points) keyed a first-half run that gave her club a 35-23 halftime lead.

Albany Joins Atlantic Soccer Conference in 2000
    University at Albany's Interim Director of Athletics Gail Cummings-Danson has announced 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.

Five Albany Players Selected to GTE District I Academic Team
    Five University at Albany players were named to the GTE/CoSIDA District I Academic All-America University Division Football Team. Albany was the most represented school on the 21-player all-academic squad; Harvard had four athletes selected. J.T. Herfurth, a junior who has a 3.84 cumulative grade point average in sociology, has made 20 consecutive starts at left tackle, and blocked for an offense that is ranked 17th in scoring (37.0 ppg) and 26th in total offense (424.1 ypg) among the I-AA national leaders.  Fullback Ben Kelcey (3.53, mathematics) rushed for 278 yards and two touchdowns, and caught 10 passes for 124 with two TDs. Linebacker Ryan Tumbry (3.43, business administration) was second on the team with 68 tackles, and added 5.0 sacks and two interceptions. Roverback Greg Green (3.31, finance/management information systems) and defensive tackle Brian Campe (3.38, business administration), were also District I selections. 
    Athletes chosen to the all-district unit move on to the national ballot, with that team's announcement scheduled for December 7.