Football Continues Its Roll
Sophomore tailback Greg Garrett rushed for a season-high 109 yards, and Albany scored on its opening five possessions en route to a 48-14 victory at Pace in an Eastern Football Conference contest last Saturday. Albany (5-1, EFC 4-0) tied Southern Connecticut State for the EFC’s Atlantic Division lead, and has its first five-game winning streak since 1985.
The Great Danes, who have outscored the opposition, 162-0, in the first half over the last five weeks, reached paydirt on two long drives to start the game. Garrett capped an 80-yard march with a 2-yard plunge, before fullback James Miner ended a 94-yard possession with an 8-yard run.
A 31-point second quarter was highlighted by roverback Greg Green’s 48-yard interception return for a touchdown and a 63-yard TD on a punt return by Dan Gmelin. Quarterback Joe Savino, who completed 10 of 19 passes for 164 yards and two scores, hit flanker Greg Butryn inside the right pylon with a 29-yard TD strike on the last play of the first half.
“I did not think we were as sharp as we have been, but we still scored on our first five possessions,” said head coach Bob Ford. “Our defensive line had to dominate the line of scrimmage, and our offensive line needed to rise to the challenge against their defense. Both did their job.”
Albany’s first-half efficiency has been aided by an active defense which has forced 11 turnovers in first halves over the last five games, taking three back for touchdowns. Homecoming/Family Weekend is this Saturday with a pivotal conference game against Stony Brook (3-2, EFC 3-1) set to kickoff at 2 p.m.
Wright and Harriers Runners-Up in Invite
Sophomore Ben Wright finished second to lead the Albany men to the runner-up spot in the team standings at the 31st annual Albany Invitational. The UA women were sixth in a 20-team field.
St. Lawrence’s Lawton Redman won the 8,000-meter race in 25:09.7 to lead the Saints to the title. Wright was second in 25:39.9, while teammates Brendan Howell and Ryan Osborn were 10th and 11th. The Saints finished with 45 points; Albany (52) and Massachusetts-Lowell (61) followed.
Katy Massalam ran 18:16.9 in the women’s 5,000-meter race as Middlebury scored 56 points to capture the championship. The Great Danes were sixth, and received another strong performance from sophomore Andrea Viger, who covered the circuit in 18:45.2.
In addition, sophomore Todd Weiss is the first recipient of the Coach R. Keith Munsey Cross Country Scholarship. The award honors the man who coached Albany’s cross country and track programs for three decades from 1956-85. Weiss, a Presidential Scholar, has a 3.88 cumulative grade point average in accounting with a double minor in business administration and computer science. He place ninth at last year’s New England Collegiate Conference championships.
Field Hockey Goes to 12-1
The Great Danes continue to steamroll through their schedule, and have won 17 of their last 18 contests dating back to last season. Sophomore Jen Cordes scored with 22:45 remaining in the second half to break a scoreless deadlock, and Albany went on to post a 3-0 victory over Div. I Columbia on Oct. 9.
Tovah Atwell scored a school-record three goals two days earlier in a 3-1 win against Assumption. Atwell, a sophomore from West Winfield, N.Y., established a single-season record with 32 points (13 goals, 6 assists). Albany is 12-1 overall.
Women’s Tennis to Host NECC
Freshmen Jennifer Hahn and Erinn Langford teamed to win the consolation doubles final at the New York State Division I-II tournament last Sunday at the Capital Region Tennis & Fitness Club. Hahn and Langford, playing together for the first time this season, defeated Dowling’s Marybeth Knockenhauer and Sheriu Wilson, 6-4, 7-5.
The Albany duo knocked off Stony Brook’s Karen Wright and Joanna Rychlik, 6-4, 6-3, in the consolation semifinal. Darcy Wheeler reached the consolation final in singles, but lost in three sets. Albany hosts the New England Collegiate Conference championships on Oct. 17-19. The Danes are two-time defending NECC champions.
Soccer Pitches Shutout
Bryan Grabon and Kirt MacNeill scored a pair of goals in the second half in Sunday’s 2-0 NECC victory over Sacred Heart. Grabon, a freshman from East Aurora, N.Y., broke a scoreless deadlock at 52:37 with his team-leading eighth goal of the season. Albany is 8-4 overall and 3-2 in the conference.
The “Doc” is on the Golf Course
Richard “Doc” Sauers, who retired as head men’s basketball coach after more than four decades in the position last spring, has been chosen to coach the women’s golf team. Sauers is no stranger to collegiate golf, and coached Albany’s men’s program for 19 seasons from 1962-79. During his tenure, the Great Danes had an 80-77-3 dual-match record, and finished ninth at the 1963 NCAA championships.
Sauers, 67, finished his basketball coaching career with a 702-330 record. Albany’s golfers placed 10th at last weekend’s Rutgers Invitational.
Brian DePasquale