Sports

by Ken Baker '99

Scott Ends Pursuit

Allegheny's Jeremy Scott '03 ended his pursuit of a place on the United States Olympic Track & Field Team at the U.S. Olympic Trials held in Sacramento, California, in July. Scott was a participant in the pole vault event, which was aired on national television by the USA network.

Scott, one of few Division III athletes to compete in the Olympic trials, struggled with injuries leading up to the trials and was unable to clear his opening height. While at Allegheny, Scott cleared a height of 18' 8-1/4". The top two finishes in the finals were at heights of 19' 4-1/4" and 19' 2-1/4".

A pole vaulter for the Gators during his time at Allegheny, Scott is the school, NCAC, and Division III recorder holder. He was also the Indoor National Champion in 2001 and the Outdoor National Champion in 2002.

2003-2004: The Numbers Speak for Themselves

To say that 2003-2004 was a great year for Allegheny athletics would be an understatement. The incredible successes of the Gator teams this past season continue to build on the tradition of excellence long established by Allegheny athletes.

Between September and May, our 20 varsity sports compiled an overall record of 561-250-4, for a winning percentage of .691. In North Coast Athletic Conference competition, the Gators improved with a 126-49-1 record, a .719 winning percentage. Eight of those teams continued on to NCAA post-season play. Five teams brought NCAC championship trophies back to campus to add to Allegheny's previous total of 150 conference championships.

What does all this add up to? Nothing less than the top NCAA Division III athletic program in western Pennsylvania and the best athletic program, sport by sport, of any institution in the NCAC.

Allegheny finished 35th in this year's United States Sports Academy Directors' Cup, up 60 spots from last year's 95th-place finish. Messiah was the only Pennsylvania school with a better finish.

In the NCAC All-Sports Standings, the Gators tallied 160 points in 20 sports. Denison had 170 points in 22 sports. Allegheny averaged 8.00 points per sport, while the Big Red managed 7.73 points per sport.

An athletic department that dates back to 1867 and that boasts 155 conference championships, 12 national championships, and 498 All-Americans will have solid school records. Reflecting our teams' great year, 50 of those school records were surpassed this past season.

Individual scholar-athletes garnered impressive honors. Seven athletes were named to All-America squads, 30 earned spots on All-Region teams, 6 were named NCAC Players of the Year, and 129 found a place on All-NCAC teams.

The coaching staff was not left out either. Four coaches were named Regional Coach of the Year, and five were named NCAC Coach of the Year.

The news on the academic front is good as well. The overall grade point average for student-athletes was 3.00, with 47 percent earning a 3.0 GPA or higher and 15 percent earning a 3.5 GPA or higher.

Some schools use words to tout their athletic prowess. At Allegheny, all we need to do is show the numbers.

Sports Wrap-Up

GOLF
NCAC: 3rd
NCAA: T-19th

Junior Ben Rathfon was named to the Division III PING All-America Team with a spot on the honorable mention squad. Rathfon, junior Darren Eades, and sophomore Ryan Zurowski earned PING All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors. Head coach Jeff Groff was named the Eaton Golf Pride Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year, as he led the Gators to wins at both the fall and spring Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournaments. Rathfon finished the season with a 75.4 stroke average in 23 rounds played. Of the 14 tournaments that Allegheny played in, Rathfon was among the top-10 finishers 10 times, including medalist honors at the spring Mid-Atlantic Regional and the Carnegie Mellon Invitational. Eades averaged 78.0 in 21 rounds this season and finished with six top-10 placements. He took second at the 2004 North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. In 23 rounds played, Zurowski averaged a 77.9 and was a top-10 finisher seven times. Allegheny finished tied for 19th at the 2004 NCAA Division III Golf Championships after making the field for the 28th consecutive year.

MEN'S BASKETBALL
(11-15, 7-9 - 5th)

Matt Magnusen earned a spot on the d3hoops.com All-Mideast Region second-team selection and a first-team All-NCAC pick as he averaged 21.0 points and 4.8 rebounds to lead the conference in scoring his senior season. Magnusen finished 34th in NCAA Division III in scoring and became the first Allegheny player to lead the NCAC in scoring. His season total of 547 points ranks second in school history, and he finished his career 11th all-time with 1,192 points. The Gators finished fifth in the NCAC with a 7-9 record before losing to Wabash in the conference quarterfinals. Sophomore Matt Majzlik earned honorable-mention All-NCAC honors, putting up 14.9 points per game and grabbing 7.2 rebounds.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
(17-11, 13-3 - 2nd)

After dropping seven of their first nine games, Allegheny salvaged the 2003-2004 season by finishing the year on a 15-4 run, taking second in the NCAC and rolling into the conference championship game for the first time since 1989. Senior Jessica Kankoski paced the Gators, averaging 11.9 points per game and also adding 5.2 rebounds. Kankoski took a spot on the All-NCAC first team for the second time. Junior Meredith McDonough was a second-team pick after scoring 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
(NCAC - 3rd)

The Allegheny runners, who won the title last season, took third this season, 93.0 points behind Denison (175.0) and Ohio Wesleyan (112.0). Junior Leah Shouey was named the Outstanding Women's Middle/Distance Runner of the Year as she won the women's 5,000- and 3,000-meter events. Shouey crossed the line in 18:05.06 to take the 5,000 and had a time of 10:25.93 in the 3,000 to beat Denison's Elaine Binkley in both races. The distance medley relay team set a new NCAC record and crushed the rest of the field with a time of 12:41.52, outrunning second-place Wooster (13:04.86) by 23.34 seconds.

SWIMMING & DIVING
(NCAC Finish: Men 6th, Women 6th; NCAA Finish: Men 39th, Women 40th)

Senior Kelley Anderson and junior Matt Wilson each earned All-America honors to lead the men's and women's swimming and diving squads this year. Anderson became the first four-time NCAC Female Diver of the Year, as she won her seventh and eighth conference championships with titles on the one- and three-meter boards. She placed fourth in the one-meter and 13th in the three-meter at the NCAA Championships to earn her sixth and seventh All-America honors. Wilson earned his first career All-America honors, taking fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke and 16th in the 200-yard breaststroke at the national championship meet. He also won both of those events at the NCAC Championships, marking the first time since 1998 that Allegheny has won more than one swimming event at the conference meet.

MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
(NCAC - 1st)

Cross country and track and field head coach Bill Ross led the team to their second-straight conference title in 2004. Ross, who came to Allegheny in 1996, has placed the Gators' running programs at the top of the NCAC. Since his arrival, Allegheny has claimed five NCAC titles in women's outdoor track and field, three men's outdoor, two men's indoor, two men's cross country, one women's indoor and one women's cross country.

This spring, Allegheny won the conference title in style by setting a conference championship meet record with points, scoring 213 to outpace second-place Wittenberg by 62.50 points. Of the 34 runners that Ross took to the meet, 23 claimed All-NCAC honors by taking first, second, or third.

Sophomore RaShawn Allen won NCAC titles in the 100- and the 200-meter dash with times of 11.03 and 22.42. Junior Jeff Conroy was first in the 10,000-meter run to take a conference crown, with a time of 32.48.40. Conroy was also second in the 5,000-meter run (16:11.73).

The Gators also claimed conference championships in the 4x100-meter relay and the 4x400-meter relay. Freshman Josh Rhue, sophomore Aaron Rape, freshman Marcus Solomon and Allen brought home the 4x100 title with a time of 42.61, while sophomore Mark Delaney, senior Corey Drabert, Rape and senior Matt Niederst finished the 4x400 in 3:19.95.

SOFTBALL
(21-14, 11-3 NCAC - 1st)

Coach Sandra Sanford guided the Gators to their third NCAC championship and first NCAC Tournament win. Sanford took over the reins of the Gator softball program in June 2003, taking Allegheny from a third-place finish last season to the NCAC regular season and tournament titles for the first time. The Gators—picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll—tied Ohio Wesleyan for the regular-season title with an 11-3 record in conference play and then won the conference tournament. Allegheny advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time since 1996, going 1-2 before bowing out in the regional series.

Allegheny sat at 4-9 early in the season before rattling off two six-game win streaks during conference play to finish the year on a 19-7 run and 23-16 overall.

Sophomore Giannina Coccaro was named the NCAC Pitcher of the Year, finishing the season with a 0.57 earned run average and 7.73 strikeouts per seven innings pitched. Ranked in the top-10 in the nation in ERA, Coccaro went 12-7 on the year while striking out 149 batters in 135 innings of work. She was also a Central All-Region second-team pick.

Junior Sarah Johnston was named to the All-NCAC first team, hitting .318 this season with 10 doubles, 12 RBI and one homer. Freshman Christine Harvey posted a .256 average with two homers and 18 runs batted in during her rookie year to earn the first-team spot at designated player.

Senior Shawn Gledhill earned All-NCAC for the third time with a spot on the second-team infield. A first-team pick in 2002 and a second-team pick last season, Gledhill hit .346 this year with two home runs and 15 runs batted in while also earning a spot on the All-Region Tournament Team. Senior Jessica Monti and sophomore April Tantalo were each named honorable mention. Monti, who was also a third-team all-region selection, led the Gators with 22 runs batted in, a .356 average, and 14 doubles. Tantalo hit .232 and drove in eight runs as the Gator third-baseman.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE
(8-6, 3-3 NCAC - 2nd)

The team's storybook season came to a close with a loss to the College of Wooster, 10-6, in the championship game of the NCAC Tournament. Prior to this season, the lacrosse program had never finished above .500 in its 11-year history. In 2004 the team set school records for wins (8) and consecutive wins (5) as they rambled in the conference championship game. Head coach Paul Bonus was named the NCAC Co-Coach of the Year, while six Gators earned All-NCAC accolades. Sophomore Emily Deering, the 2003 NCAC Rookie of the Year, and sophomore Ashley Rogerson each earned first-team All-NCAC spots. Deering led the squad with 37 points on 32 goals and five assists, while Rogerson had 16 goals and four assists. Senior Joan Anderson, juniors Liz Geller and Ashley Lemmon, and sophomore Danie Parsons all earned spots on the All-NCAC second-team.

BASEBALL
(21-15, 10-4 NCAC East - 2nd)

The Gators finished 21-15 under seventh-year head coach Mike Ferris. Allegheny posted a 10-4 mark in the NCAC East to finish second. Denison, the top seed in the NCAC West, bounced Allegheny from the playoffs in two games. Six Gator players earned All-NCAC honors, led by junior Domenic Lanzilatti, who earned a spot on the All-NCAC first team for the first time as he led the Gators and finished eighth in the conference with a .409 average. The junior outfielder led the squad with 34 runs batted in and four homers. Lanzilatti was also a first-team All-Mideast Region selection. Freshman Jason Pape was dubbed the NCAC Newcomer of the Year, as he finished the season with a .350 average and led the squad with 15 stolen bases. He also hit two homeruns and drove in 18 runs. Sophomore hurler Drew Scibetta was also a first-team selection after going 6-0 with a 2.35 earned run average in 53-2/3 innings of work. Senior Brendon Porter and junior Evan Vonleer were second-team selections, while freshman pitcher Chris Squeglia was an honorable-mention pick.

WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
(NCAC - 2nd, NCAA - T-40th)

Allegheny's streak of five straight outdoor championships came to an end as the Gators finished second at the NCAC Championship meet. On the women's side, junior Leah Shouey became Allegheny's 28th All-American in women's track and field as she finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in the 1,500-meter run. She also broke the NCAC championship record in the 1500-meter run to win the title with a time of 4:36.60. Her twin sister, Lindsey, was second in 4:42.42. Lindsey was also second in the 5000-meter run, with a time of 19:06.27.

MEN'S TENNIS
(11-13, 1-3 NCAC - 4th)

The team ended the season on an upswing by becoming the first four-seed in NCAC tournament history to upset a one-seed when they beat Denison in the first round of the conference tournament. The Gators went on to finish fourth in the tournament. Sophomore number-one Seth Wilmore earned second-team All-NCAC with a 6-14 record, while freshman John Pappas was an honorable-mention pick. Pappas went 10-10 on the year, while playing the majority of his matches at number-two.

WOMEN'S TENNIS
(4-18, 1-5 NCAC - 8th)

Senior Judy Spencer earned All-NCAC honors for the second time as she went 8-17 at the number-one singles position for the Gators. Allegheny finished the season with a 4-18 overall mark and went 1-5 in the NCAC to finish eighth.