Men’s Basketball Draws Rider For The ESPN Bracketbuster Game - UAlbany Sports 2012

Albany, N.Y.- UAlbany Men's Basketball team (14-9, 6-3 AE) will face off against Rider (9-14, 6-5 MAAC) tentatively set for Saturday, Feb. 18 at SEFCU Arena (7 pm) in the ESPN Bracket buster game. The Great Danes are 0-2 in previous ESPN Bracketbuster games, having lost to Boise State by one, 83-82, on Feb. 16, 2007 and lost to Virginia Commonwealth, 70-67, on Feb. 17, 2006.

The Rider Broncs are in the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference and currently sit fifth in the standings with a 6-5 conference record. The Broncs are averaging 73.2 points per game on offense while allowing 76.1 points per game. One of Rider's team strengths has been shooting behind the arc boasting a 38.6 shooting percentage which ranks 32nd in the nation. The two Bronc's sharp shooters behind the arc are senior guards Brandon Penn shooting 44.3 percent (54-122 3FG) and Jeff Jones shooting 39.8 percent (45-113 3FG).

UAlbany is in the America East Conference and currently sits fourth in the standings with a 6-3 conference record. The Great Danes will have their hands full with the Broncs with what has seemed to be the team's Achilles heel, guarding the three-point shot. On the season, UAlbany ranks last in the conference defending the three-point shot allowing the opposing team to shoot 38.9 percent (178-457 3FG). To counter its lack of three-point defending has been its potent offense averaging 73.5 points per game. Junior guards Gerardo Suero, Logan Aronhalt, and Mike Black have provided to be one of the best three guard tandems averaging 50.1 points per game as a group this season.

The Great Danes continue its 2011-12 season on Wednesday, Feb. 1 against the Retrievers of UMBC at SEFCU Arena (7pm)

Stadium Design?

John Battaglino Honored as Lacrosse Magazine's Best Women's Coach of 2011 - UAlbany Sports 2012

Albany, N.Y. - After a tremendous, record-breaking 2011 women's lacrosse season for the Great Danes, head coach John Battaglino garnered numerous coaching awards after his first season in the reigns; including the recently announced Lacrosse Magazine Best Women's Coach of 2011.

Battaglino took the team 18-1 during his first season to set a program record for wins. Amongst those 18 wins was an America East Conference Championship title, the first for UAlbany, followed by the first NCAA Tournament game and first NCAA Tournament win. Topping that off, the Great Danes was the only Division I team to go undefeated in the regular season.

Lacrosse Magazine chose Battaglino for both his outstanding first season at the helm and working with a miniscule, injury-plagued roster. Battaglino told LM, "I've always been a big proponent of getting kids to make reads. I'm looking for five, six, seven kids on the scoreboard. They're all looking to score, to pounce on lanes and opportunities. It's a lot more fun to play, and it's a lot more fun to coach, especially when they start getting it. As soon as they start to see that, it's very rewarding."

The Great Danes 2012 campaign will begin at John Fallon Field on February 18th as they host Niagara.

UAlbany Football Finishes Season Ranked On Two National FCS Polls - UAlbany Sports 2012

Albany, N.Y. - The UAlbany football program finished up the 2011 season ranked on two national polls, and was receiving votes in a third. The Great Danes were voted 23rd in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll, and 21st in the Any Given Saturday FCS Poll. UAlbany also finished up the season receiving votes in the Sports Network Media Poll.

The Great Danes earned a share of their fifth Northeast Conference championship with 31-21 victory over Sacred Heart. Head coach Bob Ford, who has 255 career victories, led the program to its first NCAA FCS postseason appearance. UAlbany reached the eight-win plateau for the fourth time as a NCAA Division I FCS program. The Great Danes made their first NCAA appearance in football since 1977, taking on Stony Brook in the first round of the FCS Playoffs. UAlbany placed eleven players on the 2011 All-Northeast Conference squad, led by defensive end Eddie Delaney, who was just the second UAlbany defensive lineman to be recognized on three occasions during a career. Ford was voted the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth time.

Paul Layton Named A 2011 ECAC Football Championship Subdivision Special Team All-Star - UAlbany Sports 2012

Albany, N.Y. - Sophomore punter Paul Layton was named a 2011 ECAC Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Special Team All-Star, as announced by the organization. Layton, along with the rest of the first-team all-star honorees, will be recognized at the Eastern College Football Awards Banquet presented by FieldTurf on Thursday, February 16, in the Chase Club at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Layton, who hails from Burnt Hills, N.Y., finished the season sixth among the nation's punting leaders with a 42.6 average. He booted 17 kicks of 50 or more yards this season, and was named the Great Danes' Most Valuable Special Teams Player at the team banquet. He was named to the Northeast Conference First Team, and was the league's Special Teams Player of the Week on two occasions.

McNish, Lagno & Fanning Set School Records; Men Place Third, Women Place Sixth at Great Dane Classic - UAlbany Sports 2012

New York, N.Y. -Pat McNish, Paul Lagno, and Kathryn Fanning set more school records at the 10th Annual Great Dane Classic Saturday, January 20th in the NYC Armory. The men's squad finished third overall, while the women placed sixth out of 26 and 24 scoring team fields, respectively. The event featured over 50 teams.

Fanning, this week's America East Conference track performer of the week ran the 1,000 meter in 2:49.33 to place first which qualifies her for the ECAC Championships. Fanning exceeds a UAlbany record set in 2007 (2:50.74).

Lagno, also garnered America East honors this past week, soared in the mile run to finish with a time of 4:04.40. The time surpasses a record set in 2009 by over a half second.

Pat McNish soared 19' 4.00" in the long jump to finish third and qualified for the ECAC Championships. The previous school record was a half an inch shorter and set in 2009. McNish also had a 38' 8.25" triple jump score, good for eighth overall.

Elsewhere on the field, Janice Johnson garnered a 10th place finish in the shot put with a 41' 2.25" throw, a season-best. Ashley Grant had a high jump mark of 5' 5.00" to place sixth. On the track, the legs of Kamilah Williams, Elia Francis, Tynelle Taylor-Chase and Allison Rogers completed the 4 x 400 meter relay in 3:52.10 for fourth overall and qualifying for ECAC round. In the distance medley, Miranda McConnell, Allison Rogers, Sherez Mohamed, and Emily Finnegan finished in 12:01.85 for third overall; also an ECAC qualifying mark.

Alfonso Scannapieco leap 16' 8.75" to place first in the pole vault; the mark qualifies him for the IC4A Championships at the end of the season. Scannapieco also clocked an 8.65 in the 60 hurdles to place 13th overall. Chris Burke (4:13.24) had top-10 times in the mile run, while Alex Leuchanka (14:45.37), Christopher Buchanan (14:54.83) and Ethan Clary (15:12.64) placed in the top-20 in the 5,000 run. Matthew Catera and Elijah Pardo completed the 60 hurdles in 8.40 and 8.45 respectively, both top-10 performances overall. Alexander Bowen had another impressive high jump mark of 6' 11.00" to place third.

The Great Danes will take a week off before returning to the Armory the first weekend of February for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational, a two-day event.

Mike Black America East Co-Player of the Week - UAlbany Sports 2012

Cambridge, Mass.- Junior Guard Mike Black was voted the America East Conference Co-Player of the Week, which was voted on by the conference office. The other recipient for the award was Boston U.'s sophomore guard DJ Irving. This is Black's second time in his career that he has been honored with Player of the Week.

Black, a Chicago, Ill. native, had a career week in the Great Danes' two victories last week. Against New Hampshire, Black went off early in the game surpassing his previous career-high of five rebounds with seven in the first half. He would finish out the game with nine rebounds and 17 points in route to an 86-63 victory. Then versus Maine, the junior point guard matched his Wednesday night's results with nine rebounds and 15 points leading to a thrilling victory, 76-75.

Since conference play has begun, he is averaging 16.6 points per game, 5.2 assists per game, 4.4 assists per game. When the junior guard dishes out seven assists or more in a game, UAlbany is 5-0 on the season.

Five Great Danes Set Records at the Penn State Nittany Lion Challenge - UAlbany Sports 2012

University Park, Pa. - Kathyrn Fanning, Alexander Bowen, Paul Lagno and Sherez Mohamed set school records, while Alfonso Scannapieco set a new meet record at the Penn State Nittany Lion Challenge on Saturday, January 14th. The competition featured squads from Penn State, Cornell, Maryland, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia, meeting at Ashenfelther III Indoor Track.

Fanning began the day with a 4:51.88 mile time to finish third overall, setting a new UAlbany school record previously set in 2007. Alexander Bowen became the first UAlbany track and field athlete to jump over seven feet in the high jump (7' 0.25"), which is 1.25 inches more than the record previously set in 2002. Bowen, a freshman, placed second overall in the event.

Paul Lagno ousted his own record set last season in the 3,000 meter (8:16.88). Sherez Mohamed ran the 600 meter six-tenths of a second quicker than the record set last season by Brittany Eveleth, taking sixth place with the 1:36.00. Scannapieco set both a meet and personal record by soaring 16' 6.00" with the pole vault, good for first place.

In other women's track events, Jonelle White clocked a 2:15.95 800 meter time for second, while Brianne Bellon took fifth in the 1,000 meter with a 2:54.38 time. The Great Danes ran the distance medley in 12:06.87 as Emily Finnegan, Allison Rogers, Fanning and Bellon split up each leg. Pat McNish made an 18 foot and 5.25 inch leap to finish first in the long jump event.

Notable track events on the men's side include the first place 60 meter performance by Earnest Waters (6.87), while Donald Williams, Jr. clocked 6.88 in the same event. The 3,000 meter event featured a top-four Great Dane lineup; Paul Lagno took first as he clocked 8:16.66, while Chris Burke (8:27.00), Alex Leuchanka (8:28.93), and Chris Buchanan (8:33.35) completed the quartet finish. Meanwhile, Kareem Morris leaped 23 feet for a second place finish in the long jump.

The Great Danes will resume their schedule on Friday, January 20th for the 10th Annual Great Dane Classic held at the NYC Armory.

Ebone Henry Scores 1,000th Career Point; UAlbany Defeats New Hampshire, 60-44 - UAlbany Sports 2012

Albany, N.Y. - Junior guard Ebone Henry scored her 1,000th career point, while Lindsey Lowrie led all players with 23 points, as UAlbany defeated New Hampshire, 60-44, in America East Conference women's basketball action on Wednesday evening at Lundholm Gymnasium. The Great Danes, who remain in first place in the league standings, improve to 10-7 overall and 4-0 in conference play.

UAlbany jumped out to a quick 13-2 lead and never looked back. A 3-pointer by Lowrie, one of five in the game for the junior, were the first points of the contest, while Julie Forster grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back to give UAlbany a 5-0 lead three minutes into play. New Hampshire's Morgan Frame hit a jumper to put the Wildcats on the scoreboard, but Lowrie and Henry combined for six points on three straight Great Dane possessions to extend the UAlbany lead to 11-2. Forster capped the run with a jumper before Frame hit two free throws for New Hampshire with just over 12 minutes left in the first half.

The Great Danes continued to extend their lead as the half continued, getting up by 14 on another trey by Lowrie before Keyana Williams put UAlbany on top, 23-7 with a jumper at 5:27. Forster gave the Great Danes what would be their largest lead of the half, 24-7, with a free throw, before New Hampshire's Player of the Game, Kelsey Hogan, dropped in two free throws to cut the UAlbany advantage back to 15. Lowrie and Forster both hit buckets to put the Great Danes back ahead by 17 in the late going, but New Hampshire's Denise Beliveau converted a layup with just under two minutes left to set the halftime score at 28-13.

Lowrie kicked off the second half just like the first, draining a 3-pointer off an assist from Kate Cronin. UAlbany continued to roll, building up a 25-point advantage on a jumper by Lowrie at 17:14. New Hampshire's Kaylee Kilpatrick ended the Great Dane run with a layup, but Forster responded with a jumper in the paint to keep UAlbany ahead by a 25-point margin. A 3-pointer by Cari Reed kicked off a 9-0 run by the Wildcats, as New Hampshire was able to cut the deficit to 14, 40-26, with just over 13 minutes left to play. However, Henry sunk a shot from long range to end any threat by the Wildcats, and Lowrie followed with a trey of her own to keep the Great Danes ahead by 20, 46-26, with 10:48 left to play.

Henry scored her 1,000th career point on the first of two free throws with just under eight minutes left to go, which put UAlbany ahead by 22. New Hampshire continued to fight, getting the score back under 20 three more times as the game wound down. A 7-0 run by the Wildcats cut the Great Dane lead to 14, 56-42, but freshman Margarita Rosario nailed two free throws to keep UAlbany with an 18-point advantage. New Hampshire's Alexandra Leftridge scored the final basket of the game with 20 seconds remaining to set the final score.

Lowrie's 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting led three Great Danes in double figures. Henry totaled 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Forster chipped in with 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. UAlbany shot 43.6-percent (24-55) from the floor, including 41.2 percent (7-17) from 3-point range. The Great Danes also outrebounded New Hampshire, 39-25.

Kilpatrick scored a team high 14 points for New Hampshire (8-7, AE 1-2), while Frame added eight points. Beliveau led the Wildcats off the boards with five rebounds, while also adding four points and three steals.

UAlbany (10-7, AE 4-0) will return to action on Saturday, visiting Maine in America East action.

Track & Field Sweeps America East Field Performances of the Week - UAlbany Sports 2012

Cambridge, Mass. - Unviersity at Albany's Alfonso Scannapieco and Kelsey Hanson recieve America East Confernence Field Performers of the Week with their first place finishes this past weekend at the Crowell Open.

Scannapieco placed first overall in the heptathlon with 4,956 points to begin the 2012 season for the Great Danes. He took the top spot in three field events including the long jump (21-07.25), the high jump (6-04.25) and the pole vault (15-03.00). The Crowell Open marked Scannapieco's first competiton with the Great Danes after transferring from Empire College.

Hanson, meanwhile, took first in the pentathlon with a score of 3,262, over 200 points more than the second place finisher. She leapt to victory in the long jump (16-11.50) and turned in solid second-place finishes in the high jump (5-03.25) and shot put (33-02.00).

Scannapieco and Hanson, along with the rest of the Great Dane squads, will return to action this coming weekend at the Penn State Nittany Lion Challenge in University Park, Pa.

Gerardo Suero Named Mid-Major Player of the Week - UAlbany Sports 2012

Albany, N.Y. - Gerardo Suero was named mid-major player of the week on nbadraft.net on Saturday, Jan. 7. Suero averaged 23.0 points in UAlbany's last two victories this past week. The junior guard is currently fourth in the nation in scoring with 22.1 points per game and has found the free throw line more than anyone else in the nation with 142 free-throw attempts.

Suero, the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native, has been one of the most consistent scorers on the Great Dane roster. In the past eight games, he has scored 20-plus points in which UAlbany is 6-2 overall. He has scored in double-digits in every game he has played in this year. Suero, a junior college transfer, has had no problem adjusting to the Division I level as he has been able to not only make it to the free-throw line more than anyone in the nation but has made the second-most free throws with 116.

Suero and the rest of the Great Danes look to win their fourth consecutive game on the road against Stony Brook on Sunday, Jan. 8 at Pritchard Gym at 2 pm.

Eddie Delaney Wins Maxwell Football Club Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award - UAlbany Sports 2012

Philadelphia, Pa. - University at Albany's Eddie Delaney has been named the winner of the Maxwell Football Club's Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award, as announced by the club's president, Ron Jaworski, on Wednesday afternoon. The Maxwell Football club has been presenting a Spirit Award since 2000, only in years when deemed appropriate. The award was re-named the Brookshier Award in 2010.

Delaney, a senior defensive end from Holtsville, N.Y., plays without a left hand and wears an insulin pump to control diabetes. An All-Northeast Conference Defensive First Team selection, Delaney made 54 tackles and led the Great Danes with 11.5 hits for a loss. He also established the program's FCS single-season record with 8.5 sacks.

In addition to excelling on the field, Delaney also devoted himself to numerous pursuits in the local community. He has taken a large role in an effort to raise awareness and funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and has spoken to the Sugar Free Gang on several occasions, inviting the group to attend UAlbany football games. The Sugar Free Gang, established in 1989 at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, N.Y., actively involves children and their families as full partners with their health care providers in managing type 1 diabetes. Delaney, who developed many of his own workout and weight lifting plans, would like to work in the future to help create plans to help children overcome disabilities in the same way he did.

"This is a tremendous honor for Eddie and for the University," said UAlbany head coach Bob Ford, who led the Great Danes to the NEC Championship title and first FCS Tournament berth in 2011. "Eddie is a tribute to the sport of football and to UAlbany. He is a great role model for kids with disabilities and, in addition, he is a great football player."

The Brookshier Award was named after Tom Brookshier, who earned distinction as an All-Pro cornerback on the 1960 NFL Champion Philadelphia Eagles. After a broken leg ended his playing career, Brookshier took to the broadcast booth, working three Super Bowls with longtime partner Pat Summerall. Brookshier passed away in January 2010, and the Maxwell Football Club re-named the Spirit Award in his honor. The award is presented only when deemed appropriate, to a member of the football community who best exemplifies extraordinary spirit in overcoming adversity or demonstrating service. The award was last given to Boston College's Mark Herzlich in 2009, and has also been presented to Kevin Everett of the Buffalo Bills (2008) and Tedy Bruschi of the New England Patriots (2005).

The Maxwell Football Club was established in 1935 in Philadelphia, Pa. The organization presents the Maxwell Award for the College Player of the Year. This award is presented in honor of Robert W. (Tiny) Maxwell, legendary college player, official and sports columnist.

The 75th Maxwell Football Club National Awards Gala will be held at the Harrah's Atlantic City Resort on March 2, 2012. The event is open to the public. Tickets may be purchased on the Maxwell Football Club website at www.maxwellfootballclub.org or by calling 215-643-3833.

Dan Di Lella Named to 14th Annual FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team - UAlbany Sports 2012

Cleveland, Ohio - University at Albany's Dan Di Lella was named to the Football Champioship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team, as announced by the FCS ADA and president Marilyn McNeil. Di Lella was one of 58 student-athletes selected to the Academic All-Star squad out of 92 nominees from across the country.

Di Lella, a 6-foot-5 quarterback from Neshanic Station, N.J., established school single-season records in passing yards (2,548), touchdowns passes (25) and total offense with 2,859 yards. He completed 59.9 percent of his attempts and had a 144.51 efficiency rating. Di Lella also set a program record with seven games of 200 or more passing yards. A business administration major with a minor in criminal justice, Di Lella holds a 3.22 cumulative grade point average.

Student-athletes from all FCS institutions are eligible for ADA Academic All-Star awards. Nominees are required to have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) and must be a starter or key player. He must have reached his second year of athletic and academic standing and must have participated in 50 percent of the games played at his designated position.

Women's Lacrosse 2012 Schedule Features Boston College & North Carolina - UAlbany Sports 2012

Albany, N.Y. - Highlighted by eight home games at John Fallon Field and two contests against 2011 NCAA Tournament participants, second-year head coach and 2011 America East Conference Coach of the Year John Battaglino has announced the squad's 2012 schedule.

The Great Danes open the 2012 campaign on February 18th with a home match against Niagara before a four-game traveling stretch at North Carolina (Feb. 24th), Marist (Mar. 3rd), Siena (Mar. 7th), and George Mason (Mar. 10th).

UAlbany will host northeast rivals Boston College and Massachusetts in mid-March, with Longwood coming to the Capital Region on March 16th during the three-game homestand.

Conference play begins on March 24th as the defending America East champions travel to UMBC, followed by an additional non-conference game at John Fallon Field against Stanford on March 30th. The Great Danes open the month of April hosting Binghamton (3rd) and Boston University (7th). Two of the final three games of the regular season will be played on the road, traveling to New Hampshire (April 14th) and Vermont (April 28th), while the home field finale is set for April 21st against Stony Brook.

The top four seeds from the seven-team America East will qualify for the conference tournament, which will be held at the highest seed on May 3rd and 5th.

UAlbany returns 11 letterwinners from last year's record-setting team that finished 18-1 (6-0 AE); winning the conference title and advancing to the NCAA quarterfinal round.

Gerardo Suero Voted America East Player of the Week; Third Time this Season - UAlbany Sports 2012

Cambridge, Mass.- Gerardo Suero has been voted as this week's America East Conference Player of the Week, which was voted on by the conference office. In UAlbany's 1-1 record last week, Suero totaled 50 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists while going 13-of-16 from the free throw line to total 106 free-throws made which is second in the nation. Of the 13 free throws that he hit last week, his last free-throw came on a three-point play at the end of the Mount St. Mary's game that gave UAlbany its eighth non-conference win of the season.

Suero, a Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native, is finding it easier and easier to score on a game-to-game basis as he averaged 25.0 points in two games last week. In the game against Maryland in the Comcast Center, he arguably had his best performance by scoring 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds, five of which were offensive, and dished out eight assists. Then against Mount St. Mary's in Knott Arena, he one-upped his last performance by recording his first career double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds, while going a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, and converting a three-point play with 38 seconds to go to give UAlbany the lead,65-64, and the eventual eighth non-conference win.

The 6-foot-4 junior guard is flourishing at the Divison I level as he has climbed as high as fourth in the nation in scoring with 22.0 points per game. Suero has been able to put up 20-plus points on 10 different occasions and has hit 20-plus in the last six games. How he has achieved his scoring at a consistent mark is not only his ability to slash to the basket but by finishing his play. Suero has hit 106-of-128 free throws on the season, which puts both numbers in the top two of the nation with free throws made second and free throws attempted first.