No. 20/18 Ualbany Women’s Lacrosse Draw Control Specialist Lennon Named to Mid-Season Third Team All-America Watch List

ALBANY, N.Y. – University at Albany women’s lacrosse senior midfielder Kathleen Lennon was named to the Inside Lacrosse Mid-Season Third Team All-America Watch List, ILWomen.com announced on Tuesday. Lennon has won 42 draw controls to date, and took 103 draws last season. Her total of 103 in 2013 set a new single-season UAlbany program record for draw control victories, ranking fourth in the nation. The senior currently ranks tied for 13th nationally with 5.00 draw per game, and tops the America East. She also leads the team in ground balls with 21 and ranks third in caused turnovers with nine in the Purple & Gold’s 8-0 start.

UAlbany Women’s Basketball Nearly Knocks Off No. 2 West Virginia With Late Run, But Falls 76-61 In NCAA First Round

BATON ROUGE – The No. 15 seeded University at Albany women’s basketball team scrapped and battled throughout Sunday’s NCAA Tournament First Round game, nearly battling back from a 22-point deficit. However, in the end, the No. 2 West Virginia Mountaineers held off the Great Danes, winning by a score of 76-61 to advance to the Second Round where they will meet site host LSU. Making their third consecutive NCAA appearance, UAlbany’s impressive season comes to end with a 28-5 overall record. “Well, obviously I'm very proud of them. I thought they competed completely until the end,” said Head Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. “They came out fighters, and finished as fighters, and I thought they represented the America East very proudly. “I think West Virginia is a great team, but what it did for our team was prove to each and every one of them that they can play against anybody at any time, as long as you just fight and you play hard, and stick to our system. I think we did a great job,” added Coach Abe. In the game, junior Megan Craig scored a team-best 23 points with six rebounds, while classmate Sarah Royals also reached double figures with 14 points, two assists, and two steals. Facing early foul trouble, Shereesha Richards finished with nine points and six boards, while Margarita Rosario logged a game-high six assists and three steals to go along with six points and four rebounds. West Virginia had three players reach double figures, as Christal Caldwell notched 26 points, Bria Holmes scored 20, and Averee Fields totaled 10. Asya Bussie pulled down a game-high 12 boards. Winning the tip, UAlbany took a 2-0 lead on the first play of the game, as Craig laid it in after a lob pass from Richards. Craig scored the Danes’ first five points of the game, but the Mountaineers answered on their end of the floor, taking a 10-5 lead at the 15:59 mark on a pair of free throws by Holmes. After West Virginia stretched the margin to eight, Richards cut it back to six with a put-back, making the score 17-11 with 11:56 remaining in the first half. However, that is when the Mountaineers caught fire, exploding for a 15-0 run to take a 33-11 lead on Caldwell’s three at the 6:57 mark. Royals ended UAlbany’s over five minute scoring drought with a jumper with 6:15 remaining. The Great Danes cut the deficit to 17 on Tammy Phillip’s jumper from the left wing, but Holmes answered on the other end, completing a three-point play at the charity stripe. Phillip countered in the final minute, sinking a free throw before hitting a jumper on the break to send the Great Danes into the locker room trailing by 17, 42-25. While UAlbany could have easily admitted defeat, the Great Danes came out of intermission with a spark and determination to rally, picking up with full court pressure. UAlbany began chipping away at the margin, as Craig and freshman Imani Tate both made a pair of baskets, Royals made two free throws, and Richards made a low post move, cutting WVU’s lead down to single digits, 46-37, with 13:36 to go. However, on the other end of the floor, Richards committed her fourth personal foul and Taylor Palmer sank one free throw to make it a double-digit deficit again. The Mountaineers built their advantage up to as much as 14 points, 56-42, with 9:04 on the clock, before the Great Danes when on a tear. Rosario knocked down a three on a kick-out from Richards, and then stole the inbound pass, tossed the ball ahead to Royals who made the layup and got fouled for a three-point play with 7:53 remaining. In West Virginia’s next possession, Richards logged a steal, Rosario pulled down an offensive board and fed Craig in the post, cutting the margin to five, 56-51, with 6:58 on the clock. Caldwell answered for WVU with a layup and a jumper, but the Danes hung around, as Richards powered to the hoop to stay within seven. However, she was charged with her fifth and final foul on the next play with four minutes left. Out of the final media timeout, the UAlbany defense forced a 10 second violation, but the momentum did not totally swing into the Great Danes’ favor, as WVU was consistent at the free throw line in the waning minutes. UAlbany got within eight, 65-57, on Craig’s pair of free throws with 1:29 remaining, but when the Danes were forced to foul in an attempt to gain possession, West Virginia went 9-for-9 at the free throw line, putting the game out of reach. In the contest, WVU shot 73.5 percent (25-34) from the charity stripe, while the Great Danes shot just 48.3 percent (14-29). From the field, the Mountaineers shot 42.6 percent (23-54), and from three 22.7 percent (5-22), while UAlbany made 46.0 percent (23-50) from the floor and 16.7 percent (1-6) from behind the arch.

Strong Defense, Third Quarter Surge Earns #18/19 UAlbany a Road Win over #12/14 Penn State 17-10

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Paced by a 6-1 third quarter, eight Lyle Thompson points and 19 Blaze Riorden saves, the #18/19 UAlbany men’s lacrosse team took down #12/14 Penn State 17-10 on the road on Saturday. UAlbany (3-3) earned its second victory over a ranked team on the road this season with the win over Penn State (4-4), defeating UMass two weeks ago. “I thought Blaze [Riorden] and our defense set the tone for us today,” said UAlbany coach Scott Marr. “We played defense most of the first period, and from there our offense took advantage of its opportunities. I am very pleased with our total team effort.” Riorden’s 19 saves is a season-high for UAlbany for a 65.5% save percentage in the game. James Burdette helped on defense with four caused turnovers of the team’s 12. On the offensive end, Lyle Thompson led the Great Danes with eight points off three goals and five assists. Miles Thompson had four goals and two assists, adding a pair of caused turnovers, with Ty Thompson earning two goals and two assists. Off the bench, Eli Lasda scored two goals. For Penn State, Dan Craig had a hat trick of goals with two ground balls, while Pat Manley scored three goals off the bench. The defense was tested early as Penn State had possession the majority of the first seven minutes. Including two Riorden saves and a Burdette turnover, the Great Danes held Penn State scoreless in that time. Then at the 7:12 mark, third shot was a charm as Miles Thompson got set up for the score from Lyle Thompson for the first goal of the game. Penn State countered the other way and scored a minute-and-a-half later. After protecting against another series of Penn State shots, UAlbany cleared and saw Lyle Thompson score a pair of goals in a row to finish the period, sending the Great Danes ahead 3-1. Following an exchange of possessions, Lasda got set up for the fast break and scored from Eric Cantor. About a minute later, Ryan Feuerstein scored unassisted for a 5-1 UAlbany lead, causing Penn State to call timeout with 11:40 in the period. Following a Pat Manley goal for PSU, Lyle Thompson earned another score on a goal with under nine minutes left in the second to make it 6-2 UAlbany. Penn State followed with a 3-0 run, with five different point-scorers, to pull within one. With six seconds left in the half, Lasda was fed the ball from Lyle Thompson for a goal to put UAlbany up 7-5 going into the locker room. With possessions going back-and-forth to begin the third quarter, Will Stenberg and Miles Thompson each connected on goals. Penn State’s Craig scored at the 6:34 mark of the third to make it 9-6 UAlbany. The final five minutes of the quarter, the UAlbany offense was on fire. John Maloney, Miles Thompson, Ty Thompson and Feuerstein all scored in succession to finish up the period, giving UAlbany a 13-6 lead. Into next quarter, Matt Garziano and Matthew Bertrams added early goals to complete a 6-0 run, leading UAlbany to take a 15-6 advantage with 13:24 left. The home team made a late charge with two Craig goals and a Manley score to pull within six, but a Ty Thompson goal with 7:03 left ended the PSU run. Each side scored one more as UAlbany completed the game up 17-10 for the win. UAlbany plays one more non-conference game before the start of America East play, hosting Canisius on Tuesday, March 25 at 3 p.m. at John Fallon Field.

UAlbany Men’s Basketball Gives No. 1 Florida A Run In, 67-55, NCAA Second Round Defeat

ORLANDO, Fla. – Playing with poise and complete control on the national stage, the University at Albany men’s basketball team gave the No. 1 team in the nation a noble run Thursday evening in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in Orlando’s Amway Center. After holding the lead until the 7:02 mark in the first half, the Great Danes ultimately fell to the Florida Gators by a score of 67-55. Florida (33-2) will now advance to the Round of 32 against Pittsburgh, while UAlbany’s season comes to an end with a 19-15 overall record. “I'm very proud of my team,” said Head Coach Will Brown, who led UAlbany to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth since 2006. “This is our third game in six days against arguably the best team in the country -- A tremendous effort. This has turned into a very, very tough team, and I'm proud of them. “ Playing in the final game of their careers, seniors DJ Evans, Gary Johnson, and John Puk led UAlbany in the scoring column with double-digit efforts. Evans logged a game-high 21 points, going 6-for-12 from the field, 2-for-5 from three, and 7-for-8 from the free throw line, while also grabbing a team-best seven rebounds. Johnson contributed 13 points and three boards, while Puk capped his tenure with 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Florida boasted a balanced attack with Casey Prather and Dorian Finney-Smith each totaling 16 points, while Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, and Kasey Hill each had 10. Out of the gate, the Great Danes set the pace, as Peter Hooley stripped the ball at one end and Puk knocked down a jumper at the other, giving UAlbany a 2-0 lead 30 seconds into the game. Using a controlled and relaxed tempo on the offensive side of the ball, UAlbany built a four-point lead, 9-5, at the first media timeout, after Evans banked a jumper from the short corner, Johnson took a strong drive to the hoop, and Evans hit another mid-range jumper after shaking his defender off with a pump fake. For Florida, Wilbekin knocked down a three, giving the Gators a 10-9 lead with 13:37 remaining in the first half, but Evans stepped up again, narrowly beating the shot clock buzzer, regaining the advantage for the Danes. Florida answered back immediately and the dogfight ensued. The first half featured 11 lead changes and five knotted scores, while UAlbany held a three-point advantage three times. Sam Rowley’s strong post move on the low block put the Danes up, 17-14, at the 9:59 mark, and Puk knocked down back-to-back jumpers from the wing to give UAlbany a 21-18 lead with 8:51 remaining in the opening stanza. Florida picked off a pass and completed a three-point play at the foul line to take a 23-21 advantage. The play had the potential to shift the tides for good, but the resilient Great Danes answered back immediately as Puk and Johnson executed a give-and-go, tying the score 23-23 with 8:00 minutes on the clock. After impressive ball movement, Evans knocked down a three at the 7:02 mark, handing the Danes a 26-24 advantage, which would mark UAlbany’s last lead of the game. After Young threw down a dunk, senior Luke Devlin hit a jumper from the wing, knotting the score again, 28-28, with 4:46 remaining. However, the Gators closed the first half with a 6-0 run, taking a 34-28 lead into the break. The Great Danes started the second half with just as much poise as the first, cutting a seven-point deficit down to two, 37-35, by the first media timeout, as Rowley knocked down a pair of free throws, Johnson made a layup, and Evans hit a jumper and made both free throws after drawing a foul with the shot clock winding down. Out of the timeout, Hill laid it in for the Gators, but Hooley answered back immediately, receiving a kick-out from Rowley and drained a three, cutting the deficit to one. On their next trip down the floor, Hooley tied the score for the fifth time in the contest. Hooley drew the foul and made one-of-two at the charity stripe, tying the score, 39-39, with 14:32 left. However, that would be as close as the Great Danes would get the remainder of the way, as Florida went on a 9-0 run. Puk ended UAlbany’s scoring drought with an elbow jumper at the 11:03 mark, making the score 48-41. At the other end of the court, Michael Frazier knocked down a three, giving the Gators their first double-digit lead of the game. After taking a blow to the head at midcourt, Evans hit both of his free throws, cutting the deficit to eight, 51-43, with 10 minutes to go. Battling with all their might and holding their own against the SEC Champions, Johnson drained a three with 3:28 remaining, making it a nine-point game, 61-52. However, Wilbekin answered with a three of his own on the other end of the court with 2:10 on the clock, and the Gators held a double-digit lead the rest of the way. In the game, UAlbany shot 39.2 percent from the field (20-51) and 30.8 percent from three (4-13), while Florida shot 51.0 percent from the floor (25-49) and 25.0 percent from behind the arch (3-12). “It's one thing for a coach to put together a game plan,” said Brown. “It's another thing for a group of young men to go out and execute the game plan, and then I'm asking them to execute it against the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, so I think our guys deserve an awful lot of credit. “Congratulations to Florida and Coach Donovan,” added Brown. “They have a legitimate chance to win the national title, and I thought we really challenged them tonight. It was a great effort overall by our team.

UAlbany's Men’s Basketball Captures First NCAA Win, Knocking Off Mount St. Mary’s, 71-64

DAYTON, Ohio – The University at Albany men’s basketball program made history Tuesday night at University of Dayton Arena, overcoming Mount St. Mary’s University, 71-64, in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Making the program’s fourth Division I appearance in the Big Dance, the Great Danes captured the University’s first Tournament win. The No. 16 seeded Great Danes will now travel to Orlando, Fla. to take on No. 1 Florida Thursday at 4:10 p.m. "Our goal coming into this game was to stay big and play big, and I'm proud of my guys,” said Head Coach Will Brown. “I thought we handled adversity well tonight. I thought we weathered the storm, we stayed the course, and we made plays down the stretch. We finished. That's important. “It's a great win for the America East Conference and for University at Albany, our athletic department and our program, and we couldn't be happier,” added Brown. Senior DJ Evans led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, while also pulling down nine rebounds. Sophomore Peter Hooley followed with 20 points and four rebounds, and senior Gary Johnson also logged double-figures with 13 points (6-8 FG) and seven boards. As a team, UAlbany shot 57 percent (27-47) from the field, while the Mountaineers shot 37 percent (22-60). However, Mount St. Mary’s 12-of-37 shooting from three played a key role in the proximity of the final score. In the first half, the Great Danes led by as much as 19 points, including a 13-0 head start, as Mount St. Mary’s missed its first 11 shots of the night. At the first media timeout, Evans contributed five points with a mid-range jumper and a three from the top of the arch. Johnson scored the first basket of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, laying it off the glass at the 18:47 mark. However, the Mount used an 18-0 run of its own, sparked by Rashad Whack’s bucket at the 13:17 mark, putting Mount St. Mary’s on the board. From there, the Mountaineers held UAlbany scoreless and got hot from three to cut the deficit to one, 21-20, with 6:33 remaining in the half. With 5:26 to go, the score was knotted, 23-23, and then the squads went back and forth, trading baskets. Whack hit the Mount’s seven three of the half to give the NEC Champions a 31-29 lead. However, Rowley answered with a layup, tying the ballgame, 31-31, in the final minute of play. Hooley also logged a layup, and just before the buzzer sounded, Evans juked and hit a step-back jumper to send the Great Danes into the locker room with a 35-31 advantage. Out of the break, John Puk hit a jumper, giving UAlbany a six-point lead. Mount St. Mary’s answered with an 11-2 run, taking a 42-39 lead with 16:15 on the clock. In the first 10 minutes of the second stanza, UAlbany committed seven turnovers, while the Mount had none, playing a key factor in the scoring swing. UAlbany continued to battle, as Rowley cut the deficit to one, 42-41 on a jumper, and after the Mount stretched the margin to as much as four, Evans’ and-one play again held the Great Danes within one point, 45-44, with 13:46 remaining. Evans followed with a spin move layup for the lead. Mount St. Mary’s tied the score, 46-46, as Whack made one of two free throws, but Hooley’s layup gave UAlbany the lead for good with 12:39 to go. The Great Danes steadily began to stretch the margin and Hooley’s crowd-pleasing bank three handed UAlbany a six-point advantage, 54-48, with 9:09 on the clock. The Mount hung around, however, on the back of Will Miller. Miller knocked down seven threes in the game, finishing with 21 points. With 4:44 on the clock, Puk slammed home a dunk, giving the Danes a seven-point advantage, 63-56. But, Miller answered with back-to-back three-pointers, making it a one point game with 3:22 on the clock. Hooley drew a foul with 2:43 to go and hit both free throws on the one-and-one. After trading baskets, UAlbany led by three, 67-64. Whack nearly played hero for the Mountaineers, as his three-point shot with 36 seconds left went in and out of the rim. Mount St. Mary’s was forced to foul from there, and the Great Danes secured the victory at the free throw line in the waning seconds. “We had to go on a little run of our own, and then we did,” said Hooley in the postgame press conference, summing up the clash. “They went on another run, and then we had to fight back and make another run. “That's what we pride ourselves on -- being resilient. The fact that we managed to pull it out is a great thing.”

THREE-PEAT COMPLETE: UAlbany WBB Defeats Stony Brook 70-46 for Third-Straight America East Title

ALBANY, N.Y. – Coming into the season, the UAlbany women’s basketball team had a motto: A three-peat is earned, not given. That message proved true on Monday, as the Great Danes took down Stony Brook 70-46 at the SEFCU Arena for its third-straight America East title. UAlbany (28-4) has earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and will find out where it is going during the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, March 17th at 7 p.m. “I am so proud of them, they had a day to get the gameplan, and it worked!” said UAlbany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, who becomes just the third coach to win three America East women’s basketball titles, along with Joanne P. McCallie (Maine) and Joy Machodi (Northeastern). “I told these three [Shereesha Richards, Megan Craig and Sarah Royals], you need to make it happen, and all three of them did.” Shereesha Richards earned America East Most Outstanding Player after shooting 11-for-15 from the field Monday, scoring 26 points with seven rebounds and four steals. In the tournament, the sophomore forward shot 65% from the field, scoring 63 points. “We have been working hard since the summer, to know we accomplished this goal to go to the tournament again, we all did this together as a team,” said Richards. Megan Craig joined Richards on the All-Tournament Team, finishing with seven points, six rebounds and two blocks against Stony Brook. She completed the tournament with 42 points. “”I am proud of the grit and determination we had, we kept the same tempo throughout, and I am proud of everyone,” said Craig. Sarah Royals nearly had a double-double, shooting 5-for-5 from the field and hitting nine free throws for 19 points and eight assists. She matched the tournament-record 24 assists in the three games (Amy Vachon, Maine, 1999). “It is a great feeling, knowing all the sacrifices we made. We worked hard every day, and it all paid off,” said Royals. Also nearly finishing with a double-double was Tammy Phillip who earned 13 points, eight rebounds and five steals. UAlbany held its opponent to 24.5% shooting from the field, the lowest-ever for an America East championship game participant. The Great Danes shot 54.5% and improve to 25-0 this season when having a field goal percentage of at least 40%. For Stony Brook (24-8), three players reached double figure scoring: Brittany Snow and Sabre Proctor each had 12 points, with the former adding eight rebounds, while Jessica Ogunnorin had 10 points and seven rebounds. Started with a Royals layup on the opening possession, UAlbany used a pressure defense to force steals early, capped by a Richards swipe and score, building a 6-0 run to begin. UAlbany’s defense kept Stony Brook out of the paint as it forced turnovers. The other way, UAlbany kept attacking the post, with Richards hitting her first four shots. At 14-8 home team, Richards hit a layup, followed by Imani Tate and Royals hitting baskets. Richards hit two more layups despite being swarmed in the paint, completing the streak at 10-0 as UAlbany surged ahead 24-8 with 8:52 left in the 1st. The defense paced the Great Danes, allowing just one Stony Brook basket in a span of over 10 minutes. Due to foul trouble, the team saw many of its reserves hold the floor, as Tate and Zakiya Saunders stood strong in UAlbany’s backcourt. Stony Brook hit a couple of free throws towards the end, but Tammy Phillip hit a long jumper with three seconds left in the period to go into halftime up 36-20. Stony Brook hit the first three of the game to start the half. Layups by Craig and Phillip were matched by a 4-0 personal run by Brittany Snow, making the score 40-27 in the half’s opening four minutes. Twice Stony Brook got to within 13 points as the action went back and forth, when at the 8:45 mark, Richards got a pair of fastbreak baskets in succession, leading to UAlbany to go up 54-37 with under eight minutes left. The Great Danes did not trail by less than 15 the rest of the way. With the defense holding Stony Brook in check, UAlbany used the free throw line to build its lead. Allowing just one field goal in the final five minutes, UAlbany finished the game on a 12-3 burst to secure the title 70-46. UAlbany defeated Binghamton and Hartford to reach the America East title game. America East All-Tournament Team --Shereesha Richards, UAlbany (Most Outstanding Player) --Megan Craig, UAlbany --Chikilra Goodman, Stony Brook --Jessica Ogunnorin, Stony Brook --Amber Bepko, Hartford

Sweet Repeat: UAlbany Men’s Basketball Wins Second-Straight America East Championship

STONY BROOK, N.Y.- The University at Albany men’s basketball team (18-14) downed the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds again in the league tournament to take its second-straight America East title. The Purple & Gold is now 4-0 in the America East title game after beating Stony Brook 69-60 at Pritchard Gym. Stony Brook started the game firing from all cylinders, taking an early 9-0 lead on 4-for-5 from the field. Sam Rowley had the first four points for UAlbany, setting the stage for an 18-point night from the junior. The Great Danes went on an 18-4 run to take an 18-13 lead with 11 minutes left in the half. After starting 4-for-5 from the field, Stony Brook committed seven turnovers to UAlbany’s two. DJ Evans hit one of his two first-half threes to give UAlbany back the one-point lead with 7:20 left in the first. UAlbany went 5-for-6 from the field in the closing moments of the second half to take a 34-31 lead into the locker room at the break. Stony Brook looked to shift the momentum in its favor early in the second half, as UAlbany failed to score for the first three minutes of the half. The Great Danes began dealing with foul trouble mid-way through the second half. John Puk and Rowley both has four personal fouls with eight minutes left in the game. The Seawolves took the lead back with 15 minutes left, and extended it to as many as six with 11:30 left. With seven minutes left and a six-point deficit, UAlbany clawed back in the game with free throws from Peter Hooley and John Puk, as well as a lay-in from DJ Evans. Stony Brook went 1-for-7 from the field over a five-minute span to close the game and give up the lead. A step-back three from Hooley with 1:43 left in the game gave UAlbany a five-point lead. Six made free throws from Gary Johnson down the stretch sealed the victory 69-60. The Great Danes made 18 consecutive free throws in the game and went 18-for-19 (.947) from the charity stripe overall. UAlbany’s performance from the free throw line ranks sixth in Division I history. It was also the second-consecutive win for UAlbany over the Seawolves. Sam Rowley led all scorers with 18 points despite fouling out with seven minutes left in the game. Johnson nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds. The Great Danes will learn their fate in the NCAA Tournament tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m., on the CBS Selection Show special. AMERICA EAST ALL-TOURNAMENT Most Outstanding Player Peter Hooley, G, UAlbany All-Tournament Team DJ Evans, G, UAlbany Peter Hooley, G, UAlbany Carson Puriefoy, G, Stony Brook Sam Rowley, F, UAlbany Jameel Warney, F, Stony Brook

UAlbany's Bowen Places Seventh, All-American At Nationals

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – University at Albany junior Alexander Bowen placed seventh overall in the high jump on Friday at Day One of competition at NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National Championships. Bowen jumped 7’-2.5”, matching his best mark of the year, which he had previously jumped twice. His first mark was recorded unofficially at UAlbany’s Intrasquad Scrimmage, the RAAC Classic, in early December. He matched the mark once again in the first meet of the season, at the Penn State Relays in early January. “I’m excited to get the job done, and I’m glad to have finished in the top eight,” Bowen said. “The facility was great. It was tight, and the crowd got loud and really pumped you up. And the limited amount of athletes, 16 instead of 24 at outdoor nationals, really made the event exciting.” By placing seventh, Bowen also earns All-America honors in his event, which is awarded to the top eight finishers in each event. This time, Bowen earned first team honors, while during last year’s outdoor campaign, Bowen earned second team honors by placing 11th at outdoor nationals. “I was a mess jumping,” Bowen said. “The track was fast, and it was bringing me too close to the bar. So I had to compensate by turning hard, sometimes too hard. But I had to do what I could to clear heights.” “Alex took a lot of jumps,” said assistant coach Todd Wolin, “and was giving me a heart attack. But he skied 7’, and skied 7’-2.5”. At 7’-3.75, he got off the ground well on his first and second attempts, but didn’t finish the jump. It’s something we’ll work on going forward.” “Today was the end of one chapter,” said Bowen. “Now I’ll start training for outdoor. But what I did today shows that I can compete with the best, that I am one of the best.” “He knows he can do great things,” said Wolin. “I’m proud of him.” For Bowen, the focus quickly shifts towards transitioning to the outdoor season, and adjusting for the differences that accompany jumping out in the elements. Bowen will official begin outdoor training next Tuesday, and will travel with the team to Puerto Rico for the Spring Break Classic. “Tuesday we go back to day one,” said Wolin. “Today he was turning a little too early, getting to the bar too soon to compensate for the speed. We knew the track was a little fast coming in, and the competition proved it was the fastest surface he’s ever been on. But going forward we’ll tinker with his approach, maybe widen him out a bit, so he can be consistent on any surface.” “Unlike last year, when we were going for a big jump at Puerto Rico, this time we’re training through, to prepare for Texas,” Wolin continued. “A lot of the guys Alex saw here will be competing at Texas, so that will be the place for him to try for a big jump. He only needs 6’-10” for outdoor prelims, but the ultimate goal for nationals is to hit the 7’-4.5” for USA nationals. So, we’ll train until Penn Relays, then we get into conferences, IC4A’s, and prelims and nationals.” Florida State’s James Harris won the event with a jump of 7’-7.25”, but took jumps at a new collegiate record. Arizona’s Nick Ross, who won in 2012, placed second, clearing 7’-6”. Mississippi State’s Marcus Jackson also cleared 7’-6” to take third place. Cornell’s Montez Blair placed fourth with a mark of 7’-3.75”, the height at which Bowen was eliminated. After the team returns from Puerto Rico, the team will almost immediately turn around for the Texas Relays or the Bobcat Invitational, both in Texas. The following week, April 5, the Danes will host their first of three home meets this season on their brand new track. America East Outdoor Championships will be hosted by Vermont from May 3 through May 4, and Princeton will again host IC4A’s from May 16 through May 18. NCAA Preliminary Championships run from May 29 through May 31 in Jacksonville, and Outdoor Championships will be at the University of Oregon from June 11 through June 14.

UAlbany Men's Lacrosse: Lyle Thompson Named Brine DI Player of the Week

BALTIMORE – After leading the Great Danes to a dominant victory over UMass, Lyle Thompson was named the Brine Division I Player of the Week in all of DI men’s lacrosse. This weekly honor is selected by the staff at Inside Lacrosse magazine. This is UAlbany’s first National Player of the Week honor this season. Earlier this week, the junior attackman was selected as the America East Player of the Week. Matching his career-high for assists and points in a game, Lyle Thompson notched seven assists and four goals for 11 points against UMass, which had one of the top scoring defenses in lacrosse coming into the contest. He adding three ground balls to his tally. He leads all of Division I with 7.25 points per game and 4.75 assists per game, also ranking 34th in goals per game at 2.5. His first two rankings are at least one point/assist higher than the second-place player.

UAlbany Men’s Track Ties For Second At IC4A Championships

BOSTON – Following the first full day of competition at IC4A Championships, the University at Albany men’s indoor track team found itself sitting in third place in the team standings. UAlbany ended the meet tied for second as a team with defending champion Connecticut, scoring 54 points. Cornell won the team title, scoring 76 points. Youssef Benzamia, starting the proceedings for the men, placed third in the long jump with a mark of 24’-4.75”. Alfonso Scannapieco was ninth, jumping 22’-8”. Scannapieco later returned to action in the pole vault, earning a victory by clearing 17’-6.5”, taking some chances by skipping some heights along the way. John DeLallo placed third in the mile in 4:06.09, which a new personal best by over two seconds, marking the second time in consecutive days he has run a new best time. In the trials yesterday, DeLallo ran 4:08.80, which was itself a two-second personal best. His trial time bumped him from ninth to eighth on UAlbany’s all-time indoor list, and the time he ran today moves him from eighth to fifth. The distance medley relay team placed second in 9:50.57. The time is five seconds faster than UAlbany’s best time on the year, and 15 seconds faster than their qualifying run, where they dropped the baton during the second leg. Zachary Cook led off in a personal best 3:02.7, Jason Tomlinson ran a personal best on the second leg with a 47.8, DeLallo ran 1:50.3 coming off his personal best in the mile, and Christopher Buchanan closed in 4:09.1. UAlbany’s 4x800 relay team placed third, with a new season best time of 7:26.02. Their qualifying time from yesterday, 7:27.68 was already the second fastest mark ever in UAlbany history. Dylan Lowry Led off in 1:53.0, Larry Ramirez ran second in 1:51.0, Andrew Pirnie ran third in 1:51.3, and Youness Benzaid anchored in 1:50.2. Rounding out the UAlbany competitors, Abel Gilet was 24th in the shot put, throwing 49’-10”. Nathan Hiett placed 12th in the pole vault, jumping 16’-2.75”, tying his season best from the America East Indoor Championships. Donald Williams Jr. and Kareem Morris placed 10th and 11th respectively in the 60 semi-finals, failing to advance. Williams Jr. ran 7.00, and Morris ran 7.03. Alexander Bowen will continue his indoor season for one more week to compete in the high jump at indoor nationals in New Mexico starting Friday, March 14. He departs for the meet on Wednesday. For everyone else, indoor has come to an end, and the transition to outdoor begins. The first event on the schedule for the outdoor season is the Spring Break Classic on Saturday, March 22 in Puerto Rico.

UAlbany's Women Lacrosse Takes 2011 NCAA First Round Rematch at Dartmouth, 13-7

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany women’s lacrosse team (4-0) earned its fourth-straight win on Saturday at Dartmouth (3-2). Two-time America East Co-Offensive Player of the Week Rachel Bowles had four goals and one assist in the victory. Senior Allie Phelan also notched four goals. The Great Danes got down 2-0 early after Jaclyn Leto scored one minute into the game and again on a free position shot. UAlbany responded by scoring four-straight goals, one apiece from Bowles, Nichole Eamer, Allie Phelan and Katherine Sweeney. After the Big Green scored with 12 minutes left in the first half, Phelan scored two-straight to keep Dartmouth at bay, 6-3. John Battaglino’s squad ended the first half with a 6-4 edge. The Big Green scored twice to tie the game at seven with 18 minutes left, but Bowles and Phelan combined for three unassisted goals to extend the lead back to three goals. UAlbany wrapped up scoring with goals from Ariana Parker, Bowles and Maureen Keggins. Bowles has now scored in eight of her last nine games dating back to last season. Anna Berman made seven saves in the cage for UAlbany. Christine Johnson led the Purple & Gold with four draw controls. The Great Danes continue the 2014 season at home next weekend against St. Bonaventure on Friday, March 14 at 1:00 p.m., and Cornell on Sunday, March 16 at 4:00 p.m.

#18/17 UAlbany Uses Top-Offensive Performance Ever to Crush #9/10 UMass 25-10

AMHERST, Mass. – Led by 23 points from the Thompson trio, the #18/17 UAlbany men’s lacrosse team took down one of the top defenses in DI, defeating #9/10 UMass 25-10 on the road on Saturday. UAlbany (2-2) ties its top offensive game tally in its history, matching its 25 goals against Hartford in a 25-9 victory on March 26, 2005. UAlbany achieved this goal against a defense that ranked third in Division I in goals allowed per game (5.5) coming into this game. This is the first time since 2006 that the road team has won this matchup, when UAlbany defeated UMass 9-8. “Not only were we very prepared and motivated, but we executed as well as any team I have ever coached,” said UAlbany head coach Scott Marr. “If there was a game to bottle, it would be this one.” Lyle Thompson finished with 11 points, off four goals and seven assists, adding three ground balls. Miles Thompson had six goals (and one assist) to lead all goal-scorers, while Ty Thompson netted five goals. Off the bench, Bennett Drake scored a goal with three assists, while Derrick Eccles had a trio of assists. Earning the win was Blaze Riorden, who saved 18 shots in just under 50 minutes, allowing eight goals. For UMass (4-1), Matt Whippen had two goals and an assist off the bench, while Connor Mooney and Ryan Curley each had two points. Each of the Thompsons gave out firing early, with Miles, Lyle and Ty scoring unassisted in succession in the opening 3:13. Ty Thompson added another from Drake to make it 4-0 after four-and-a-half minutes. The Minutemen broke the run with a Whippen goal, but UAlbany scored three of the final four goals of the half, started by an LSM score by Eric Cantor finished with a Tim Cox goal, to end the first quarter up 7-2. Cox’s goal started a long run for UAlbany into the next period. Miles Thompson scored three of the next four goals, then John Maloney scored in a man-up situation. Lyle Thompson added two more unassisted goals, finishing the streak at eight-consecutive goals and giving UAlbany a 14-2 advantage with 6:04 left in the second quarter. UMass rolled off a pair of goals in the next 70 seconds, which was countered by UAlbany goals from Maloney and Will Stenberg. UAlbany went into halftime leading 16-4. After Robert Lynott’s goal to start the third quarter for UMass, UAlbany went on another run, with Ty Thompson, Maloney, Ty Thompson again and Lyle Thompson scoring in a row to build the advantage to 20-5 with 5:08 in the third. The team’s went back and forth the rest of the half as the Great Danes kept the advantage into quarter number four, leading 21-7. Following a Miles Thompson goal off the faceoff in the final period, UAlbany added three more goals in the fourth, including the first collegiate goal for each Drake and Tom Nuckel. The Great Danes finished the contest with the 25-10 victory. UAlbany returns home to take on Bryant next Saturday, March 15 at John Fallon Field at 1 p.m.