The Great Danes have won four of their last five starts, including a 7-6 victory at
Division I Marist, and stand at 14-11 overall.
By Brian DePasquale
The University at Albany Crew Alumni Association held their first ever athletic constituent group-charter signing as well as a boat naming to honor University President Hitchcock on Thursday, April 24. The ceremonies were held at the Student Association Crew Club Boathouse, which is located on Broadway in downtown Albany.
The charter signing took place with President Hitchcock and Vice President for Student Affairs Jim Doellefeld in attendance. Alumni Association President Harold Hanson and Student Association President Mike Castrilli were also at the ceremony. The Crew Alumni is the first athletic program to form a constituent group of the University's Alumni Association.
Members of the Albany Crew Alumni and the Student Association Crew Club honored Hitchcock with the dedication of one of the team's premier racing boats. She christened the boat, used exclusively by the women's rowing club, following the charter signing.
The Great Danes have won four of their last five starts, including a 7-6 victory at
Division I Marist, and stand at 14-11 overall.
Sophomore catcher Dennis Cirilla had four hits with a triple and three runs scored in last Thursday's victory. Freshman pitcher Mark Zacharczyk went all nine innings to pick up his first collegiate win.
Second baseman Jamie Lent, who hit a two-run homer at Marist, has been on a tear at the plate. The senior co-captain has raised his batting average 66 points to .333 on the season, and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 16. Freshman Michael Oliva is hitting .333 in the lead-off spot, and has 12 runs to go with five doubles and nine stolen bases.
Sophomore Marcus Hartel, one of several young throwers on the UA pitching staff, fired a four-hit shutout earlier in the week against Keene State. Hartel has a 3-1 record with a team-leading 2.86 earned run average.
Albany's lacrosse team is also enjoying a resurgence in late April, and has produced
victories in four of its last five contests. The Great Danes, 5-4 overall, have only
tasted defeat (16-13) against C.W. Post, the No. 1 team in Division II.
Midfielder Mike Kittner earned MVP honors at the fourth annual Dowling Invitational on April 19-20. Kittner had two goals and five assists in a 13-12 decision over the host school in the championship. Mike McCarthy scored the game-winner with 26 seconds left. McCarthy leads Albany in scoring with 26 goals and five assists, while Kittner has 14 goals and 15 assists through nine games. Junior goalkeeper Gary Lockwood, the tournament's defensive MVP with a season-high 23 saves against Dowling, has a 10.86 goals against average.
Dawn DiMicco has become one of the top freshmen in the Division II ranks with her recent play. DiMicco scored a season-high five goals, including three in the second half, in a a 12-9 come-from-behind victory over Le Moyne on April 21. Albany (5-3) ripped off three unanswered goals to break a 6-6 deadlock early in the final period. Laura Walls fired a 10-yard shot over goalkeeper Deirde Beers' left shoulder to break the tie with 22:53 remaining. DiMicco and Rebecca Kaiser each scored in the next two minutes for a 9-6 lead.
DiMicco is UA's offensive star with 21 goals and one assist, while junior Rafaela Nikas is also a 20-point scorer (12 goals, 8 assists).
Sophomore Kelly Poynton fired a one-hitter and struck out 14 in the first game to lead Albany to a New England Collegiate Conference double-header sweep, 7-0 and 16-2, over New Hampshire College on April 23 at Albany Field. The Great Danes, 18-11 overall, have won four straight.
Poynton, who improved to 5-4 on the mound, allowed just a first-inning single by Kate Wentworth and walked four in the complete-game effort.
Sophomore shortstop Jackie Knapp was selected as the NECC Player of the Week for the second time this season earlier in the week. Knapp is currently hitting .326 with 29 runs, 32 RBIs and 11 extra-base hits for a .576 slugging percentage.
Amy McGroty leads the UA regulars with a .382 batting average and has driven in 26 runs. Kate Carnevale, who plays at second base, is first on the club in runs (35) and stolen bases (17).