Sports Wrap-Up

Baseball

The Gators went 12-4 in their last 16 games to finish with an even 17-17 overall record and tied for second in the NCAC eastern Division with a mark of 8-8. Five players were named to the all-conference team, with senior shortstop Matt Young leading the way as the only first-team selection. Young finished as the team's offensive leader in nearly every category, including batting average (.418), doubles (11) and RBI (39). Catchers Alex Herrnberger and Zach Skowvron were All-NCAC Second Team se- lections, while second baseman Brian Schmidt and pitcher David Strawser each were named to the Honorable Mention squad. The 2008 campaign marked the end of head coach Mike Ferris' 11-year reign. The 1984 alumnus collected a 261-156 overall mark during his tenure, ranking him third all-time for victories. Ferris guided the Gators to a berth in the NCAA III College World Series, an NCAA mideast regional title and an NCAC title.

Softball

Head coach Sandra Sanford guided her 2008 squad to its second regular season championship and an appearance in the NCAC tournament for the fourth time in her five seasons as the team's leader. The top-ranked Gators (24-15, 11-3 NCAC) earned the right to host the conference tournament and finished third in the double-elimination format. Six Gators were honored by the NCAC, with second baseman Abby Bodenlos earning the league's Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season. The senior finished with a .405 batting average, including four homeruns and 14 RBI. A threat on the base paths, Bodenlos also stole 22 bases in 24 attempts. Freshman catcher Marci Potuzko was named the Newcomer of the Year after hitting .362 with two home runs and 29 RBI in her rookie campaign. Shortstop Rachel Ryan was the team's third First Team selection. All- NCAC Second Team honorees included infielder Maggie Bodenlos, utility player Allison Korotkin and pitcher Amanda Downey.

Lacrosse

Allegheny's lacrosse team improved on its 2007 record by going 7-9 overall while sporting a 4-2 NCAC mark under first-year head coach Paula Habel. The Gators earned the No. 4 seed in the NCAC Tournament, only to drop their first-round matchup against top-seeded Ohio Wesleyan. The NCAC named five Gators to All- NCAC squads, led by first-team selection Jensen Paterson. The freshman attacker led the Gators in goals and scoring with 44 goals and 57 points. Earning second-team honors were senior attacker and assists leader (16) Ashley Hughes and junior defenseman Katie Murphy, who topped the Allegheny stats list with 24 ground balls. Attackers Laura Hoch and Christina Zanic rounded out the honorees by attaining honorable mention status. Hughes ended a record-breaking career at Allegheny by becoming the all-time Gator leader in goals (125), assists (54) and points (179), making her the top offensive threat in Allegheny lacrosse history.

Men's Outdoor Track & Field

The Allegheny men's track and field team enjoyed another successful season under head coach Bill Ross. The Gators finished second out of 10 teams at the NCAC Outdoor Championships, including individual first-place finishes by senior Ryan Place (1500m), senior Matt Smith (3000m steeplechase), sophomore Jakeb Zimmerman (10,000m) and senior Frank Tupta (shot put). Both Place and Tupta qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where Place finished fourth in the 5,000m with a time of 14:38.14, while Tupta could not make the final round in a strong field of competitors. earlier in the year, Place also broke his own 5,000m record with a time of 14:26.52, besting the old mark of 14:31.02. With Place's fourth-place finish, he earned All-America status.

Women's Outdoor Track & Field

The 2008 season was a standout year for the Allegheny women's track team, which placed first out of 15 squads at the Washington and Jefferson Invitational; first out of four at the NCAC Combined Event Championships; and first of nine at the NCAC Outdoor Championships with a conference-record 268 points. First-place finishes by Katie Stancik (1500m) and Liz Straus (high jump) contributed to the Gators' success, while multiple titles by Liz Earley and Emily Pfeufer helped to carry the team. Pfeufer placed first in the long jump and triple jump and tied for first in the high jump, javelin and heptathlon. She qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the heptathlon, where she finished 13th. Earley placed first in shot put and set an NCAC record in the hammer throw at 52.65m. Her season ended at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where she finished second in the hammer throw. The NCAC honored Earley with the NCAC Field MVP and Ross with Coach of the Year.

Men's Golf

Allegheny juniors Mike Wolfe and Kyle Jastromb and sophomore Christian Goetz earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference First Team honors for their play during nine rounds of league competition in 2007-08. Each of the three totaled 681 strokes during his NCAC rounds, good for an average of 75.67 and a tie for third in the conference rankings. In addition to his third-place tie, Wolfe earned medalist honors after shooting three over par in two rounds at the Nye Intercollegiate hosted by Wooster. Overall, Allegheny (2,714 strokes) finished second during the 2007-08 NCAC season and earned three tournament titles and five top-two finishes.

Women's Golf

Head coach Jeff Groff was named the Division III National Golf Coaches Association East Region Coach of the Year after guiding his squad to its highest finish ever at the NCAA III National Championship. The team, which finished ninth out of 20 teams competing at the four-day event, was led by Jamie Reints, who finished in 16th place individually after averaging a 78.25. The Gators have qualified for nationals in each of the first three years of the program's existence. over the course of the 2007-08 campaign, Allegheny captured five tournament titles, including a win at an entirely Division II Gannon Invitational, and finished with an additional four top-three finishes while competing at some of the toughest events throughout the region.

Men's Tennis

The Gator men's tennis team combined a 5-1 fall season with a 10-6 spring to finish with an overall record of 15-7 and a 4-2 NCAC mark. Allegheny placed third in the NCAC Tournament, beating Oberlin and Wabash, but fell to 11th- ranked Kenyon to end the season. Junior Matt Chiricosta earned first-team All-NCAC honors in both singles and doubles, posting records of 13-8 and 8-8, respectively. Chiricosta's doubles partner, senior Andy Zipf, also received first-team doubles and was an honorable mention in singles with a record of 8-8. Also receiving an honorable mention by the NCAC was Matt Winters. This year's squad finished 18th in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, while Chiricosta finished ranked 24th in singles.

Women's Tennis

The Gator tennis team enjoyed a breakout season in which it posted a 14-10 overall record (6-3 fall, 8-7 spring). Allegheny showed success in NCAC matches, with a 4-2 record in the conference, losing only to nationally ranked squads No. 7 Kenyon and No. 5 Denison. The Gators finished the season fourth in the NCAC tournament, a first since the 1999-2000 season. Three Gators were named to the All-NCAC team, led by freshman Lauren Kristofco, who was named to the first team in singles with her overall record of 11-11, 3-3 in conference. She teamed with freshman Sara Longo to earn a second-team selection in doubles, posting a 3-3 record in NCAC play while achieving an overall record of 11-12. Senior Kristyn Paone was also recognized by the NCAC with an honorable mention.

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