Sports

Men's and Women's Track & Field Win Three NCAC Titles

By Jason Stronz '03

The men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams both captured North Coast Athletic Conference titles this year. It was the second title of the year for the men’s track and field program, which earned its first during the indoor season. The women’s outdoor team claimed its fifth consecutive NCAC crown, while the men’s outdoor team won its first since 1998.

Head coach Bill Ross orchestrated the outdoor programs en route to being named Coach of the Year for both the men’s and women’s teams, while senior Dan Princic, freshman Rashaun Allen, and sophomore Leah Shouey received top individual honors. Princic won the 1500-, 5000-, and 10,000-meter runs to earn Distance Performer of the Meet. Allen earned Sprint Performer of the Meet honors, winning the 200-meter dash, placing second in the 100-meter dash, and leading the Gators’ 400-yard relay team to victory. Shouey was named the Distance Performer of the Meet in the women’s contest after winning the 1500 and claiming second in the 800- and 5000-meter runs.

Tiffany Bennett, a senior, established a new school record in javelin competition with a throw of 146-7, while junior Chelsea Benson set a new standard for the school in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:17.25. Senior Jenn Surace won the pole vault, clearing a height of 10-6. Bennett went on to finish ninth, with a throw of 128-9—one spot shy of All-American status—at the NCAA Division III Championships.

The 4x100 meter relay team—composed of Allen, fellow freshman Aaron Rape, junior Matt Niederst, and senior Joe Yarkovich—won with a time of 42.79, half a second faster than second-place Wittenberg. The men’s 4x400 team of senior Luke Pelger, freshman Mark Delaney, Rape, and Niederst also earned victory at NCACs.

The same 4x400 relay team won at the Indoor Championships in March. In addition to the relay team’s victory, Princic was named the conference’s Outstanding Middle/Distance Runner of the Year for the indoor season. He won the 5000- and 1500-meter runs and finished second in the 3000. Senior world-class pole-vaulter Jeremy Scott, who did not compete in the outdoor championships due to injury, secured the Outstanding Field Athlete of the Year Award after setting a NCAC indoor record with a jump of 18’ 2¾”. Ross received Coach of the Year honors for leading the men to victory.

The women’s team finished second in the nine-team field at Indoor Championships.

Ross has led five different teams to NCAC titles this season while winning six NCAC Coach of the Year honors and the 2002 United States Track Coaches Association Mideast Women’s Outdoor Coach of the Year award. In addition to the track titles, Ross coached the men’s and women’s cross country teams to NCAC crowns in the fall.

Senior Award Winners Announced
By Ken Baker ’99

A talented group of 2003 graduates made this year’s selections of the Senior Scholar-Athletes and the Athletes of the Year a tough decision. This year’s senior class—which included a world championship participant, an eight-time All-American, the school’s second-leading scorer and steals leader, a Regional and Verizon Academic All-American, a two-time NCAC Runner of the Year, and an NCAC record-holder—will go down as one of the best in the 136 years of varsity athletics at Allegheny.

After the votes were tallied, it was determined that there would be Male Co-Athletes of the Year for the first time since 1996–97. Jeremy Scott (track and field) and John Hreha (diving) earned the distinction, while Nicole Morandi (track and field/cross country) earned Female Athlete of the Year accolades. Adam Fletcher, a member of the men’s soccer team, was named the Male Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Jane Och of the women’s soccer team was the Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Scott is perhaps the most accomplished athlete to graduate from Allegheny College. In his four years, he was a two-time national champion in the pole vault, set eight field house and stadium records, won five individual NCAC championships, was twice named the NCAC Field Athlete of the Year, and was the 2002 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year. In addition to his national accomplishments, Scott made the first of what will likely be many international appearances. The neuroscience major finished 10th at the World Championships in Birmingham, England, while jumping in a Team USA singlet, an honor he earned by finishing second at the U.S. Indoor National Championships with a vault of 18’ 8¼”, an NCAA Division III record.

Hreha is an eight-time All-American, earning the honor four times on the one-meter board and four times on the three-meter board. As a senior, and for the fourth consecutive year, he finished second in the one-meter event at the NCAA National Championships. Also for the fourth consecutive year, he earned NCAC Diver of the Year honors, the first athlete in NCAC history to earn that distinction four times.

Morandi earned All-NCAC honors 11 times during her career and was a member of six NCAC championship teams. While helping the Gators become the dominant women’s cross country team in the conference, Morandi was a four-time All–Mid East Region selection. In indoor track, she twice won the 5000-meter run at the NCAC Championships, an event in which she holds both the school and conference record. She was the 2002 NCAC Distance Runner of the Year. During the outdoor season, Morandi has four all-conference honors and was the conference champ in the 10,000-meter run as a junior and a NCAA qualifier in that event as well.

Fletcher’s 3.52 GPA and NCAC-leading 17 goals as a senior pushed him over the top for Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Fletcher tied the mark for single season goals by a Gator and finished second in the NCAC with 34 points, earning a spot on the All-NCAC second team.

Och had a 3.50 GPA and was a three-time all-region pick. She finished her four-year career as the fourth-leading scorer in Allegheny history, tallying 37 goals and 31 assists for 105 points. Och earned a spot on the All-NCAC team four times and was an All-American in 2000.

Athlete Vaults onto Pages of New York Times

The New York Times profiled Allegheny College star athlete Jeremy Scott ’03 in its May 10th issue. Writer Jere Longman interviewed Scott; Bill Ross, his coach at Allegheny; and Earl Bell, a 1984 Summer Olympics bronze medalist with whom Scott is working as he attempts to qualify for the world outdoor championships this summer and the 2004 Summer Olympics.

“At a select liberal arts school like Allegheny College,” Longman begins his article, “‘raising the bar’ most often refers to academic rigor, not pole-vaulting. Rarer still is the vaulter who stands 6 feet 9 inches, as does Jeremy Scott, a height that makes him more likely to be a power forward than a power jumper. And yet Scott has become the first Division III athlete to clear 18 feet. His personal best of 18-8 1/4 qualified him for the world indoor track and field championships.”

This past spring Scott was chosen—along with diving star John Hreha—as Male Co-Athlete of the Year at Allegheny.

Sports Wrap-Up

Men’s Basketball
(16-12, 10-6 NCAC, 3rd)

First-year head coach Rob Clune led the Gators to a third-place finish in the conference regular season. The team proceeded to claw through the conference tournament before falling to the College of Wooster, 93-71, in the finals.

Senior guard Nick Catanzarite, who finished second on the Gators’ all-time leading scorers’ list (1515 points) and established the school record for steals (252), was a first-team All-NCAC and All–Great Lakes Region selection. Catanzarite led the Gators in scoring (19.6 points per game) and assists (3.5 per game) while pacing the team and conference in steals (3.4 per game). Fellow senior Ryan Meerstein, who joined the 1000-point club, represented the Gators on the All-NCAC second-team, while junior Matt Magnusen received honorable-mention accolades. Meerstein was second on the team in scoring at 14 points per contest while averaging 4.4 rebounds per game. Magnusen, who averaged 11.8 points per game, shot an NCAC best 51.9 percent (40-77) from three-point range.

Women’s Basketball
(13-14, 10-6 NCAC, T-3rd)
The women’s basketball team lost its two leaders, juniors Jessica Kankoski and Jamie Parone, to season-ending injuries early in the season but battled back with a young, talented nucleus of players to finish third in the conference.

Sophomore forward Meredith McDonough, who earned second-team All-NCAC honors, paced the youthful Gator team. McDonough led the team and was third in the conference in rebounding (7.2 per game) while finishing second to freshman Courtney Steding in scoring with 10.2 points per game. Steding, one of seven freshmen on the roster, was awarded NCAC Newcomer of the Year honors as well as being named to the All-NCAC second-team. She averaged a team-high 11 points per game while grabbing 6.6 rebounds per contest.

Men’s Swimming & Diving
(NCAC Championships – 6th, Nationals – 24th)

Senior John Hreha won his fourth consecutive title in the men’s one-meter and three-meter diving competitions. He finished with a NCAC record 530.50 points in the one-meter contest while totaling 480.60 points in the three-meter. Hreha, who was named Diver of the Year, was awarded All-NCAC honors for the fourth straight year in each event. The Gator 400-yard freestyle relay team of senior Reed Natali, junior Nick Girard, and sophomores Andrew Rielly and Matt Wilson took third with a time of 3:12.86 to earn All-NCAC honors.

Hreha and Wilson proceeded to lead the Gators to their best finish at Nationals since 1995 with a 24th-place showing. Hreha was named an All-American after finishing runner-up in the one-meter competition for the third consecutive season with a total of 459.85 points. The senior diver also finished fourth in the three-meter competition. Wilson placed 21st in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 58.78, 27th in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:09.73, and 45th in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.11.

Women’s Swimming & Diving
(NCAC Championships – 5th, Nationals – 33rd)

Junior Kelley Anderson swept the diving competitions and won the NCAC Diver of the Year award for the third consecutive season. She won on the one-meter board by over 94 points, scoring 408.70 points. She totaled 436.90 points in the three-meter to win by more than 114 points. Both victories gave Anderson All-NCAC honors. The women’s 200-yard medley relay team of seniors Michelle Cicero and Bethany Hart and juniors Kristi Stone and Megan Natali was also given All-NCAC status after finishing third with a time of 1:52.38.

The Gators, led by a third-place finish from Anderson in the one-meter diving competition, finished 33rd at Nationals. Anderson tallied 382.05 points in the one-meter and also took sixth in the three-meter dive with a score of 418.60, earning All-American status in both events. Stone finished 24th in the 100-yard butterfly, 27th in the 200-yard butterfly, and 44th in the 50-yard freestyle.

Baseball
(22-17-1, 10-6 NCAC East, 2nd)

Senior pitcher Josh Sharpless earned his second All-NCAC selection after posting a 6-2 record with a 2.54 earned run average. A first-team selection this season, Sharpless was on the second-team in 2001. He led the Gators in wins, earned run average, complete games (6), and he topped both the team and conference in strikeouts (84). Junior catcher Lee Tenace joined Sharpless on the first-team, finishing with a .352 average, 35 RBI, and a team-best nine home runs. Both Sharpless and Tenace were second-team picks for the ABCA All-Mideast Region Team.

Kevin Hiles, a senior outfielder, was named to the All-NCAC second team. He hit .320 with eight home runs and a team-high 41 RBI and ended the season with a perfect fielding percentage. Junior first baseman Brendon Porter and sophomore shortstop Hector Urena were both honorable-mention selections. Porter led the squad with a .400 average and hit six home runs while driving in 33. Urena finished second on the team with a .359 average.

Golf
(NCAC Championships – 3rd, NCAA Championships – 19th)

The Gator golf team finished third at the NCAC Championships and had a 19th-place showing in its 27th consecutive appearance at the NCAA Division III Championships. Junior Joe Zumpella was the medalist, leading the Gators to victory at the Nazareth Invitational in October, after firing rounds of 70 and 77 on the par-72 courses at Ravenwood and Irondequoit Country Clubs. The Gators collected the IUP Invitational title in the spring with a team total of 290, five strokes better than Glenville State. Junior Patrick Keating delivered a one-under 70 to earn medalist honors.

Ben Rathfon, who was an All-Region selection and a Ping pre-tournament All-American, led the Gators with a 75.4 season average and six top-ten finishes, including a win at the Kenyon Cup and a third-place showing at NCACs. In addition, Rathfon received his second first-team All-NCAC bid while winning the Dick Gordin Award, which recognizes the conference’s player of the year. Junior Dave Lester, who also earned All-Region honors, completed the year second on the team with a 77.5 average with five top-ten finishes. He was selected to the All-NCAC second team for the second time (2002).

Rathfon was the team’s top finisher (T-39th) at NCAAs with a four-day total of 302.

Lacrosse
(4-9, 2-5 NCAC, 6th)

Emily Deering led the Gators to a 4-9 overall record and a 2-5 mark in NCAC play. The freshman, who was a first-team All-NCAC midfielder and NCAC Newcomer of the Year, led the Gators with 43 goals and a 3.62 points per game average. Sophomore midfielder Ashley Lemmon was named to the second team, finishing with 22 goals. Rebecca Ozimek, a senior midfielder, earned honorable-mention status after finishing the season with 12 goals and eight assists.

Deering was named NCAC Player of the Week on March 31 after registering 12 goals and an assist in three games.

Softball
(17-21-1, 9-4-1 NCAC, 3rd)

Three Gators earned All-NCAC second-team honors while leading the team to a third-place finish in NCAC regular season play. Junior Shawn Goodhill, a first-team all-conference selection in 2002, hit .297, drove in a team-high 19 runs, and led the conference with six triples. Sophomore outfielder Sarah Johnston batted .315 with 12 RBI, while freshman Giannina Coccaro led the pitching staff with eight victories and a 2.08 earned run average. Junior Tracie Gaydos recorded team-highs in strikeouts (76) and complete games (17).

Coccaro threw her first career no-hitter in a 3-0 win over Kenyon on April 19. She struck out nine while walking five in the decision.

Men’s Tennis
(5-18, 1-3 NCAC, T-7th)

Gabe Higgs-Horwell gained his fourth All-NCAC selection. The senior was a first-team selection in singles after posting an 18-6 record. Horwell also combined with fellow senior Chris Howell on a 13-6 doubles record, earning the duo second-team honors.

Horwell received first-team honors in 2002, a second-team bid in 2001, and honorable-mention status in 2000 as a singles player. Howell was a second-team selection in doubles in 2002.

Women’s Tennis
(6-16, 1-4 NCAC, T-7th)

Junior Judy Spencer was named to the All-NCAC second team as a singles player for the Gators. She finished the season with a 10-11 record and posted the Gators’ only win in the conference tournament, a three-set victory over the College of Wooster’s Molly Medaris (3-6, 7-5, 11-9).