COLLEGE SPORTS NOTEBOOK 5/30/13

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.

Purchase College turns to DeLorenzo           

Lacrosse is lifeblood to Nyack High School alumna Francesca DeLorenzo, who not only embraced the sport as a player and coach but is marrying further into the ever-growing popular pastime on June 7.

DeLorenzo, who played four years as a midfielder for the Indians at the scholastic level and then competed at Marist College, recently expaned her duties as the assistant athletic director at Purchase College by taking on the role of women’s lacrosse coach.

Her marriage to Jordan Levine, the head coach at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, where he is also an associate athletic director, coincides with the crucial June and July recruiting months for women’s lacrosse.

“I’m crazy business right now,” laughed DeLorenzo, whose new assistant coach Julie Darnulc will provide invaluable help attending recruiting and development tournaments.

Darnulc is no stranger to DeLorenzo, having played for her when DeLorenzo was the women’s lacrosse coach at Mercy College.

“She (Darnulc) just graduated,” said DeLorenzo. “She was a four-year team captain.”

Darnulc also played the midfield position like her head coach, which should help position the Panthers of Purchase as they enter only their second season in the sport at the intercollegiate level.

Purchase went without a victory in 11 games in its debut campaign, but DeLorenzo is undaunted.

“I’m ready,” DeLorenzo said, noting it took her about “30 minutes” to accept the offer from athletic director Chris Bisignano. “I’m actually very excited. We’re adding another turf field, our second, and have a great training facility. I don’t see it as 0-11; I see 0-0, a clean slate. The great thing about last season is that we learned something from every defeat. I’m not worried at all.

In her plans for the second season, DeLorenzo already has Cat Viscardi of Lake Ronkonkoma and Samantha Rich of Providence, R.I. Both players – you guessed it – are midfielders. Rich led the team in scoring with 23 points, playing in every game, while Viscardi posted 12 points in nine games.

“We’ll be doing a lot of recruiting,” continued DeLorenzo. “We’re very young, very new, need game and practice experience.”

The new coach, a native and resident of Nyack, is already working on next season’s schedule, which includes regular Skyline Conference opponents.

“I’m trying to work in more non-conference games against schools we can be competitive,” added DeLorenzo, who was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter at Division I Marist.

She was a three-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) all-Academic selection and two-time Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Academic Honor Roll member. During her college playing career, the Red Foxes made four MAAC Tournament appearances, earning a spot in the championship game in 2003.

In 2009, DeLorenzo became the first women’s lacrosse head coach at Mercy and lead the Mavericks to an overall record of 8-6 and 5-3 in conference play to conclude their inaugural season. During her four-year career, DeLorenzo coached four all-Conference players and one all-American. Her 2010 and 2011 teams earned IWLCA Academic Squad Honor Roll recognition for having a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.

In addition to her coaching duties, DeLorenzo was the assistant director of athletics and senior women’s administrator at Mercy which made for an easy transition to Purchase as she takes the coaching reins once again.

Darnulc, a native of Baldwin, was an all-Conference and all-County selection while attending Baldwin Senior High. She also played for the highly competitive Long Island Yellow Jackets club team.

QUICK HITTERS

MIKE ABELARD of Spring Valley, a leading runner at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, ended his career the way it started with all-Region recognition in the 100 meters.  Abelard, who received all-Region status since his freshman year, holds records in the 55-meter dash, 60, 100, 200 (indoor and outdoor), 4×100 and the 4×400. Abelard, a Ramapo HS alum, was among Coach Lorne Marcus’ first recruits along with Rich Ricca of Pearl River. Abelard received a degree in Psychology in the spring.

TOBIN ANDERSON, named as the seventh head coach to guide the St. Thomas Aquinas College men’s basketball team, is taking over a program that went 5-23 last season , and a combined 20-58 over the previous three season. Athletics director Gerald Oswald, however, is confident of a turnaround. Anderson joins the Spartans following a two-year stay as an assistant coach at Division I Siena College. With only a six-man player rotation, the Saints overachieved with an 11-4 home record and a run to the MAAC Tournament semifinals. Previously, Anderson was an established head coach at the Division III level at Hamilton College and Clarkson University. While at Hamilton, he posted a 118-63 record over a seven-year tenure. The Continentals reached the league tournament five out of his seven years, winning three regular-season titles, a tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA DIII tournament.

AMBER STEPHENS of Stony Point, a senior at SUNY Cortland, placed 12th in the triple jump during the final day of competition at the NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The three-day meet was hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Stephens, a graduate of North Rockland HS, had a best jump of 11.55 meters (37 feet, 10 ¾ inches). Melissa Norville of Illinois College won the title at 12.78 meters (41 feet, 11¼ inches).

THIS & THAT

WITH THANKS TO TOM DOHERTY, Rockland County’s intrepid archivist for scholastic sports, we  learn that Scott Wright and Rich Burger have been elevated to head coaching positions in basketball at Suffern HS. Wright, who will coach the boys team, was promoted from the girls varsity assistant position while Burger is moving up from the JV girls position. Doherty also lauds North Rockland and Suffern for continuing “The Wooden Bat Classic,” which originated 25 years ago under the leadership of its founders, Suffern coach Ron Gamma and North Rockland coach John Sottile.

AFTER DARK IN THE PARK, is being offered by the Town of Stony Point on June 28 with its inaugural Camping/BBQ at Lowland Park. Gates open at 6 p.m.  Rain date is June 29. To reserve a spot contact the recreation department at 947-5261.

THE ORANGETOWN PARKS & RECREATION department will again be conducting a series of summer concerts, held on Friday evenings and free to the public. The five scheduled concerts, beginning on July 12 at 7:45 p.m., are held at Veterans Memorial Park in Orangeburg. In the event of inclement weather, the concerts are moved to the air-conditioned Pearl River HS auditorium.  For concert information, or other summer programs, contact the recreation office at 845-359-6503, or access http://www.orangetown.com.

SHAKESPEARE AT UAC: The Strange Bedfellows present a creative, inventive adaptation of Twelfth Night, taking attendees on a traveling adventure through ancient Illyria (and through Union Arts Center – upstairs, downstairs, outside) with this boisterous comedy. The UAC is located at 2 Union Street in Sparkill. The schedule continues  on May 31 and June 1 at 7 p.m., with a matinee set for 3 p.m. on June 2. Access:  http://www.twelfthnite.brownpapertickets.com.

JOIN SPORTS MANAGEMENT WORLDWIDE June 29-30 in Manhattan and Newark, N.J., for the NHL Draft Hockey Career Conference, which is part of the NHL Draft LIVE experience. Registration includes the NHL Draft in the lower bowl of Prudential Center Arena. On hand will be general managers, scouts, sports agents, player personnel, broadcasters and well-known Sports Media working in hockey. College Credit is available. Call 503-445-7105 or visit: http://www.sportsmanagementworldwide.com/conferences/nhl-draft-sports-career-conference.

THE ORANGEBURG VOLUNTEER FIRE ASSOCIATION is holding its annual carnival June 5-9 at Dominican College off Western Highway. Fireworks Night is set for June 8. For information and discounted advance tickets email tickets@orangeburgfd.org, or cal 845-570-9315.