Men's Lacrosse, Women's Golf Heading to NCAA Tournaments
ALBANY, N.Y. (May 9, 2024) — As the calendar flips to May, several UAlbany spring sports teams are aiming for NCAA success. The men's lacrosse and women's golf teams have won conference championships and advanced to the NCAAs, while the women's softball team hopes to build upon its regular season title as it advances to the America East Tournament this weekend.
Meanwhile, the women's and men's track and field teams have earned postseason success, with the women winning their 15th consecutive America East title and the men placing second at the America East Championships this past weekend.
Men's lacrosse hosts opening NCAA round
After winning their 10th America East title with an epic 12-11 victory over Vermont on Saturday, the Great Danes men's lacrosse team earned the right to host the opening round of the NCAA Tournament where they took on MAAC champion Sacred Heart on Wednesday under the lights at Tom and Mary Casey Stadium.
The Great Danes won and will now head to South Bend, Ind., to take on No. 1 seed Notre Dame on Sunday at 5 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.
In Saturday's America East title game, Captain Jake Piseno led the way, with five ground balls, four caused turnovers and two goals to rally the Great Danes after Vermont took a 6-3 lead in the first half. He was named Most Outstanding Player for his performance, while freshman goalkeeper Landon Whitney picked up eight saves to hold off the Catamounts and secure the title.
Women's golf advances to Auburn Regional
The Women's Golf team headed to Alabama to take part in the Auburn Regional of the NCAA Tournament after winning their first MAAC title since 2019 in April. It's the fourth conference championship for the Great Danes in program history.
Sophomore Lucia Esteban led the squad through all three rounds of the NCAA Regional, boasting a team best solo-round score of 75 on day one. She finished in a tie for 43rd place.
In Auburn, UAlbany faced off against South Carolina, Auburn, Oregon, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Houston, Tulsa, Miami (Fla.), Kennesaw State and East Tennessee State. The 3-day event, which started Monday, took place at Auburn University Golf Club.
"This was probably one of the tougher regions, obviously looking at scores from the other regions. We knew that this was a really tough golf course going in from tee to green," said Head Coach Colleen Cashman, who was earlier honored as MAAC Coach of the Year. "I think fatigue and exams and everything else, the heat probably took a little bit of a toll on us. I just kept reminding them that they had their best week at the MAAC Championship (in April) and that's what they just have to remember and fall back on. No one can ever take that away from them and just to have the experience of playing in a NCAA Regional. It's what they set out for at the beginning of the season and they accomplished it so I'm super proud of them."
Women's softball heads to Maine for America East championships
The women's softball team earned the top overall seed after completing a series sweep against Maine on Senior Day on Friday. The Great Danes (30-12 overall, 14-6 America East) will now travel to Orono, Maine, to compete in the America East championships.
As the top overall seed, the Great Danes automatically advanced to the second round and play the winner of UMBC and UMass Lowell on Thursday in the double-elimination tournament. The championship game, which will decide which team competes in the NCAA Softball Tournament, will be held Saturday at noon, with games available to stream on ESPN+.
Women's Track and Field earns 15th straight America East title; men finish second
The women's and men's track and field teams competing in the America East Championships this past weekend in Baltimore, with the women winning their 15th straight title and 17th overall in conference history.
The men were edged by UMass Lowell 167-153 to finish in second, but saw several outstanding individual performances in the two-day meet.
On the women's side, winners included the 4x100 relay team of Shantae Pryce, Dominique Clarke, Shenequa Vassell and Jazmen Newberry in a time of 45.59. Toni Galloway won the 100m hurdles in a time of 13.82, while Clarke added the 100m and 200m individual titles to her 4x100 success. For her effort, Clarke was named the Outstanding Track Performer of the meet and won the Coaches' Award. It was the fourth straight 100m title for Clarke.
On the field side, Shelby Bigsby took home the shot put title with a throw of 49-11.25, Leann Nicholas won the triple jump with a leap of 42-7.5 and Amelia Benjamin cleared 5 feet, 5.75 inches to earn the high jump title. Nicholas has won the last five indoor and outdoor America East triple jump titles.
On the men's side, the 4x100 relay team of Shavar Staats Jr., Shak Williams, Lucas Casab and Rajay Morris placed first with a time of 40.32. Antwon Messado won the 110m hurdles in 14.36, while Williams added to his 4x100 title with victories in the 100m (10.35 seconds) and a program record 21.03 in the 200m. For his effort, Williams was named Most Outstanding Track Performer and was presented with the Coaches' Award.
In field events, Travis Robinson swept the discus and shot put events, with a toss of 176-2 to claim the discus title and a heave of 57 feet, 8.5 inches to win the shot put title.
The women and men visit Army for the West Point Twilight meet Thursday before preparing for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships, starting May 22 in Lexington, Kentucky.