COLLEGE SPORTS NOTEBOOK 5/16/13

The College Sports Notebook is compiled by veteran sports writer and columnist Marc Maturo, a lifetime member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). The notebook will be published every Thursday. Please send items of interest to marcmaturo@aol.com.

Red Dragons roar into national semifinals

Freshman stalwart Tara Monaghan of Stony Point and the nationally fourth-ranked SUNY Cortland women’s lacrosse team is marching into the semifinals of the NCAA Division III national championship.

Monaghan, a freshman stalwart, chipped in a goal as the Red Dragon poured in 11 straight to break open a close game and post a decisive 14-4 victory over eighth-ranked Bowdoin in the quarterfinals at the Stadium Complex in Cortland.

The Red Dragons, with merely one setback in 22 games this season, will be making their third straight appearance and fourth overall in the final four when they challenge defending champion Trinity. The Hartford, Conn.-based Bantams, ranked No. 1 in the nation, advanced with a 12-7 triumph over The College of New Jersey at Stevenson University in Owings Mills, Md. The other semifinal features Salisbury versus Middlebury as all four teams from 2012 return to the final four in 2013.

In the quarterfinal victory, senior Maria Di Fato of Camillus sparked the Red Dragons (21-1) with Four goals and one assist while freshman Erica Geremia, also of Camilus, marked a game-high six points on one goal and five assists. Geremia also set an NCAA Division III record for assists in the tournament with 18, eclipsing the mark of 15 established in 2011 by Cortland’s all-time leading scorer Lindsay Abbott of Onondaga.

Monaghan, an alumna of North Rockland HS, registered four draw controls to raise her team-leading total to 90 on the season. The goal was her 32nd as a rookie midfielder.

Cortland led 7-3 at intermission.

All good things must come to an end

The well-respected Rockland Community College baseball team was tripped up in Rochester after coming into play as Region XV champion.

Competing for a spot at the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series in Oklahoma, the Hawks lost to host Monroe CC, 4-2, and UConn-Avery Point 12-8 at the East Region Tournament.

Suffern natives Nick Kulbaba and Billy Seymour each had two hits in the loss to Monroe, while freshman Dominick Kulbaba, also of Suffern, had two hits and three RBI against UConn-Avery Point.

The Hawks finished their season at 21-17.

King honored in Queen City

Sophomore Meghan King of New City was named MVP in two sports at the College of New Rochelle’s athletics banquet at Beckwith Pointe Club in the Queen City.

King, a graduate of Clarkstown North HS, was honored for her exploits on the softball diamond and on the volleyball court. King, who belted the softball team’s only home run on the season, was chosen to the Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) all-conference team.

King batted .306, which ranked fourth-best among players who took part in 20 or more games, and her 13 RBI ranked second for the Blue Angels, who struggled to a 6-28 mark.

The volleyball team went 11-14, with King easily leading the squad with 175 kills.

KENNEDY HONORED AT ONEONTA STATE

Standout cross country runner and track and field star Danielle Kennedy of Stony Point, who had a breakout season at Oneonta State, was among those honored as Athlete of the Year by the athletics department as its annual awards ceremony in the Hunt Union Ballroom on campus.

Kennedy, a junior out of Albertus Magnus HS, finished third at the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) cross country championship meet, which tied the best finish ever for an Oneonta female. It was the second straight year she finished in the top-5 at the championship meet.

During the indoor track & field season Kennedy captured the 3,000-meter SUNYAC crown, and also set school records in the 3,000 and 5,000 indoors and the 5,000 and 10,000m outdoors.

Spartans run to recognition

St. Thomas Aquinas College standout George Erazo of North Babylon, among the top sprinters in the East Region, was named an East Coast Conference (ECC) Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Erazo’s standout spring season included victories in the 400-meter run at the CTC Spring Meet and four events at the ECC Championship. Eraso also had a second and a third to help lead the Spartans to a co-championship at the ECC meet.

STAC coach Lorne Marcus and Greg Welch of Queens College share the men’s Coach of the Year honor after their teams were named co-champions at the ECC Championship meet.

Mike Abelard of Spring Valley was named all-ECC in the 100-meter dash and

200-meter run while Keeley Bateman of Pearl River was named to the women’s team in the 1,500-meter run.

Also named in relay events were Clarkstown South alum Ed Oswald of New City, Frankie Colon of Suffern, Joe Chegwiden of Hamburg, N.J., Michael Kraus of River Vale, N.J., Matt Buell of Staten Island and Nicolas Garvenchy of Brooklyn. Chegwiden also was selected in the grueling 3,000-meter steeplechase.
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QUICK HITTERS

Senior infielder Amanda Babcock of Haverstraw was named to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) second team after helping the Jaspers come to within one game of the MAAC Tournament.  Babcock placed third for the Jaspers in batting average (.326), home runs (4) and RBI (26), and ended the season on an 11-game hitting streak.  The North Rockland HS alumna also scored 29 runs, belted eight doubles and drew 24 walks, second-most in the MAAC. In addition, Babcock was one of nine Jaspers who were named to the all-Academic Team. …  Senior triple- and long-jump standout Amber

Stephens of Stony Point, a North Rockland HS alumna, will lead the SUNY Cortland women’s track and field team into action at the ECAC Division III Championships May 16-17 at Springfield (Mass.) College. … Following two losses to Fairfield University, the Manhattan College baseball team was eliminated from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference postseason tourney for the first time since 2002.  The Jaspers (22-27, 9-12 MAAC) will conclude their season with a three-game series in Loudonville against the Siena Saints. The set begins on May 16 with a doubleheader at noon followed by one game on May 17, also scheduled for noon. Sophomore right-hander Mike Scarinci of Nanuet has a 3.77 ERA in 17 appearances, including one start, for the Jaspers. … The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team, seeded No. 2 in the East Region, meets No. 5 Pace University on May 16 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester. In other first-round pairings in the double-elimination format, top-seeded Wilmington meets No. 6 Franklin-Pierce, and third seed New Haven meets fourth seed Southern New Hampshire. The winners of each of eight NCAA regions advance to the Division II World Series, which will be held in Cary, N.C., May 25-June 1.

THIS & THAT

It’s that time of year again, when hundreds of youth leagues and millions of kids swing into action, if some haven’t already. This again puts parents and coaches together, and sometimes the combination proves to be anything but civil. This interaction led attorney Jack Malley to take a light, humorous but pointed look at the misguided dads (mostly dads, but he does not exclude woman coaches) who can lose sight of what they are supposed to be doing. Malley, a one-time youth coach who admits to losing sight of reality before reigning himself in, has penned “Meet the Lunatics Who Run Your Kids’ Sports Leagues” (JRC Publishing, Ridgefield, Conn.), with wonderful illustrations by Dan Berger. Through 184 pages, Malley introduces a wide assortment of coach/dads, from The Delusional Dad to The Important Businessman, and offers remedies and suggestions. This work will or should make youth coaches and parents look into the mirror and assess their actions.

The Business of Sports School, one of the first and growing number of U.S. high schools which use sports business tools as a central part of its curriculum, is holding its fourth end of year celebration on May 23. This year’s BOSS event will be at the New York Athletic Club (180 Central Park South in Manhattan) from 6-8 p.m., and will honor two founding board members and industry legends, Dr. Harvey Schiller and Tony Ponturo. Event invitation and details are at https://bossschool.eventbrite.com/#.

Leaders in Performance USA will hold its first-ever North American event at Bloomberg LP World Headquarters in Manhattan June 4-5 with experts in coaching, leadership, innovation, analytics and sports science on hand. Among the confirmed speakers are Bob Bowman, acclaimed swimming coach for Michael Phelps, Dave Hancock, director of training and conditioning for the Knicks, NASA engineer Adam Steltzner, Baltimore Orioles director of pitching development Rick Peterson, and Maurice Wilson, Jamaican national track and field head coach. Details can be found at http://www.leadersinperformanceusa.com/.

The Rockland Boulders open their 100-game CanAm League season at home May 16 at Provident Bank Park in Pomona,  bringing independent league baseball back into the limelight. For fans starving for information, visit www.IndyBaseballChatter.com.  For subscriptions access www.WirzandAssociates.com or comment to RWirz@aol.com.

The Rockland County Track and Field Hall of Fame 10th anniversary induction dinner will be held May 18 at Minisceongo Golf Club in Pomona, beginning with the reception at 6 p.m. Tickets are priced at $55 per person in advance, $65 at the door, and $20 for children 12 and under. Contact Bill Dailey at 845-323-0976 or e-mail WCD106@optonline.net.