Albany will have eight starters returning on offense and seven on defense for the first spring workout on April 2. The Great Danes posted a 7-3 record last autumn; the program�s most victories since 1985.

�Our primary concern during spring drills is to identify personnel who can help us at both the inside and outside linebacker positions,� explains Albany head coach Bob Ford, who is 10th among active NCAA Division II coaches with 146 career victories. �On offense, we need to solidify our offensive line, and find a replacement for Bob Thorne at flanker.�

Leading the returnees is senior Joe Savino, a 1996 all-ECAC Intercollegiate Football Conference quarterback, who is the school�s all-time passer with 4,638 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. Three of his top four receivers join him, including split end Dan Gmelin (46 receptions, 720 yards) and all-ECAC tight end Seth Thomas. Senior left tackle Loren Baker (6�3�, 260) also earned ECAC all-star honors.

Albany�s defense allowed 9.5 points less per game than the previous season. Junior Matt Caliandro (6�5�, 230) is the team�s top returning tackler with 71, and was selected all-ECAC as a defensive end.

The spring practice schedule includes 10 sessions with pads and five dates without pads. The Great Danes will hold a controlled scrimmage on Saturday, May 3, at University Field.

Ellakisha Williamson finished fourth in both the 100-meter dash and 100-hurdles at North Carolina State�s Raleigh Relays last weekend. Williamson, a sophomore, provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division II outdoor track championships on May 22-24 in Edwardsville, Ill., with her performance.

Williamson shattered the school record in the 100-hurdles with a time of 14.06 seconds and ran 12.00 in the 100-dash. The previous hurdles standard, established by Winsome Foderingham, had stood since 1988. Williamson was a double-winner in the 100- and 200-dash earlier in the week at the Virginia State Relays, and was a member of a school-record effort in the 4x100 relay. She teamed with Tara Bialy, LaShawna Thompson and Xiomara Davila Diaz to break a 20-year-old relay mark with a time of 48.64 seconds.

Diaz finished 12th in the 400-intermediate hurdles at the Raleigh Relays, while Tonya Dodge was 14th in the 3,000.

Dennis King won Virginia State�s 800 meters in 1:54.34, and then came back to place 26th in the 1,500 at North Carolina State�s 80-team meet. In addition, Halim Wise took 14th in the 400-dash (48.63) and Richard O�Reilly was 15th in the triple jump (46-4.25) at the Raleigh Relays.

Sophomore shortstop Jackie Knapp slugged three home runs and batted .346 in leading Albany to a 7-2 record on its spring trip to Florida.

Knapp, who scored 14 runs and recorded 16 RBIs in the nine-game swing, went 5-for-7 and drove across nine UA runners in a doubleheader sweep against Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Great Danes also got excellent pitching performances in two victories over La Roche College from Pittsburgh. Kelly Poynton, a transfer from Seton Hall, fired a three-hitter in a 3-1 victory on March 23. The sophomore struck out 11 batters in the complete-game effort. Jessica Hansen, a freshman, had three strikeouts in a five-inning, no-hitter two days later.

Albany opens its New England Collegiate Conference schedule at home against Keene State in a twin bill today, April 2.

Sophomore catcher Dennis Cirilla went 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and three RBIs, as Albany ended its Virginia trip with a 10-3 victory over Loras College from Iowa.

Cirilla and center fielder Heath Mullen were the key figures on offense, and helped the Great Danes post a 5-3 record on its southern tour. Cirilla hit .533 with six RBIs and two doubles, while Mullen homered twice, drove in eight runs, and recorded a .737 slugging percentage.

Scott Tower and Jason Trufant, a pair of freshman hurlers, each picked up their first victory on the mound. Tower struck out four and walked three over six innings in a 12-2 decision against North Adams State. Trufant went the distance against Loras on March 24. He allowed seven hits, while walking two and striking out one.

The Danes� home opener is scheduled for April 2 against Keene State.

The Great Danes broke into the win column for the first time in 1997 with a 29-2 rout over Queens College last Saturday. John Baumann, a junior attack, had four goals and two assists, while Mike McCarthy and Mike Kittner each scored four times.

Senior attack Michael Wood added three goals and three assists for Albany, which had lost to nationally-ranked New York Tech (22-7) and Rensselaer (12-4) to begin the season.

Liz Peck, a junior, has been selected to GTE District I Fall-Winter Women�s At-Large Academic All-America third team. Peck, a second-team NFHCA All-American in 1996, has a 3.67 cumulative grade point average in biology.