Tonya Dodge, Ellaskisha Williamson and Xiomara Davila Diaz each automatically qualified for the NCAA Division II track & field championships with their performances at the 103rd Penn Relays on April 24-26 in Philadelphia.

Dodge, a senior, shattered her own school record in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:39.34 to finish 17th on the Franklin Field surface. She improved her previous best effort by more than 19 seconds. Davila Diaz ran 1:01.07 in the 400-hurdles to place 14th, while Williamson sprinted 13.99 seconds in the 100-hurdles. All three athletes will compete at NCAAs in Edwardsville, Illinois, on May 22-24.

Samantha Cohen and Matt Perry eclipsed two Albany racewalking marks at Penn Relays. Cohen finished fifth with a time of 24:55.36 in the 5,000-meter Olympic Development event. Perry walked 51:25.28 to take seventh in the men's 10,000. Janna Johnston established another UA record in the women's heptathlon by scoring 4,555 points to capture ninth place.

Ben Wright and Dennis King help Albany's distance medley relay place 18th, and post the No. 2 time in school history with a 10:01.94 clocking. Halim Wise ran a 47.8-second anchor leg as the Great Danes were second (3:18.01) in the CTC 1,600 relay.

Rafaela Nikas and Rebecca Kaiser each had three goals and one assist as Albany closed out its regular season with a 15-1 victory over Quinnipiac last Thursday at Varsity Field.

Albany (8-4) reached the eight-win mark for the fourth consecutive season, and awaits a possible ECAC Division II tournament berth. Invitations will be extended on Monday, May 5.

Dawn DiMicco set a single-season freshman record with 32 goals, while Rafaela Nikas (22 goals, 11 assists) and Karen Karpus (25 goals, 1 assists) are UA's other top point- producers.

Freshman outfielder Michael Oliva was selected as the New England Collegiate Conference Rookie of the Week (April 21-27). Oliva batted .432 (16-for-37) in nine games with nine runs, five doubles, one home run, four stolen bases and 11 RBIs.

The Great Danes, which own their most victories since 1987 with a 15-16 overall record, are scheduled to meet American International at Heritage Park on Wednesday, May 7 in their final regular-season contest.

Kelly Poynton was chosen the NECC Pitcher of the Week (April 21-27) in softball, while teammate Erin Craig was tabbed as the conference's Rookie of the Week. Poynton, a sophomore, had a 2-1 record and allowed no earned runs against three conference opponents. Craig hit .409 (9-for-22) in eight games with three runs, four RBIs and one double.

The Great Danes, who are under consideration for an ECAC tournament berth, have tied the school's single-season standard for victories with a 23-13 record.