UAlbany WBB Stands Alone in First with 88-47 Win over UNH on Commitment to Education Day

ALBANY, N.Y. – In a battle of the final undefeated teams in conference play, UAlbany dominated New Hampshire in the paint to crush the Wildcats 88-47 in front of 2,047 fans on Commitment to Education Day.

“They are a great three-point shooting team, and we wanted them to shoot twos,” said UAlbany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. “It helped that we started strong, got the players loose and kept them aggressive.”

“UAlbany Athletics was proud to host its 8^th Annual Commitment to Education Day, which set an attendance record this year,” said UAlbany Athletics ticket manager Brian Rudolph. “Local children and teachers were on hand to tour the facilities and learn what it means to be a Division I athlete, and most importantly what it takes to get there.”

Megan Craig set the tone early with 15 first-half points, finishing with 19 points, seven boards and two blocks.
“We knew it was going to be a big game,” said Craig. “We just wanted to play our game, not letting up and continuing to press.”

UAlbany (16-3, 6-0 AE) outrebounded UNH (10-8, 4-1 AE) 44-24 in the game, led by Tammy Phillip’s 12 boards, eight points and a block.  Shereesha Richards scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds.
“We have a lot of key players on rebounding,” said Phillip. “I just keep focused on the court to get the ball.”
For UNH, Kelsey Hogan led the team with 11 points, all coming in the second half.  Corinne Coia had 10 points and four rebounds.

For the game, UAlbany shot 55.9% from the field, while UNH had a 27.3% field goal percentage.
With the crowd of 2,047 on its side the whole way, UAlbany used a pressure defense, causing UNH to have eight turnovers in the opening five minutes.  Phillip and Craig hit layups the other way as UAlbany built an early 12-2 advantage.

Following an Ariel Gaston layup, UAlbany surged forward on a 10-0 run, led by Phillip at the free throw line, to lead 22-4.  UNH hit a couple of shots to end the streak, which UAlbany countered by scoring on three-straight possessions, capped by another Craig layup, to put UAlbany up 28-9.

Both teams started to trade baskets, with UAlbany attacking the basket quickly and UNH facing the set defense.  Craig, Imani Tate and Richards all hit layups down the stretch in the first half as UAlbany led 46-20 at the break.

UAlbany kept dialing up the pressure in the second half.  As Sarah Royals hit a couple of shots in the paint, her second layup started a 10-0 run, fueled by two layups and free throws from Richards, to send UAlbany up 60-28.

At 75-40, Erin Coughlin had a personal 5-0 run off a corner three and off-the-screen jumper.  After Kelsey Hogan hit a layup, Margarita Rosario and Jessica Féquière each hit a three, going up 86-42.  UAlbany took the game 88-47 over UNH.

The Great Danes will rest up this weekend before hosting UMBC on Tuesday, January 28^th at SEFCU Arena at 7.

RICE, DONAHUE STAR IN SYRACUSE LACROSSE SCRIMMAGES

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The second-ranked Orange men's lacrosse team opened the 2014 season with a pair of scrimmage wins on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse knocked off Hofstra, 12-8, and defeated 2013 Division II national champion Le Moyne, 15-4. The exhibitions featured three regulation quarters and a fourth 15-minute quarter of running time.

 

The attack duo of junior Kevin Rice (Skaneateles, N.Y.) and redshirt sophomore Dylan Donahue (Camillus, N.Y.) lit up the Dome with an impressive scoring display, combining for 18 points in the two games. Against Hofstra, Rice tallied one goal and four assists, while Donahue put up four goals and passed out one assist. The pair continued to sizzle against Le Moyne in the second game. Rice totaled a game-high five points (two goals, three assists) versus the Dolphins and Donahue bagged three goals.

 

“They work really well together,” Orange head coach John Desko said of the pair. “They see each other and make the extra pass. They move so well off the ball it really makes them hard to cover. I think it throws teams off defensively with their constant movement.”

 

In SU’s first game, Hofstra led 2-1 early before Rice and Donahue took over. Rice connected with Donahue for goals twice during a 3-0 Orange run in the middle of the first quarter that resulted in a 4-2 advantage.

 

The two continued to dominate in the second period. Rice notched one goal and one assist in the stanza and Donahue added another goal as the Orange outscored Hofstra 3-1 to extend the lead to 8-4 at the half.

 

Hofstra’s Korey Hendrickson trimmed the margin to three (8-5) with an unassisted goal at the 13:07 mark of the third quarter, but that’s as close as the Pride got. Another three-goal SU scoring spurt pushed the Orange advantage to 11-5 with 8:24 to go in the third. The Pride scored three of the game’s last four goals, mainly against SU’s reserves, to produce the 12-8 final.

 

Goalies Dominic Lamolinara (Arnold, Md.) and Bobby Wardwell (Clifton Park, N.Y.) each played a half for Syracuse. Lamolinara made six saves in the first two periods and Wardwell had eight in the third and fourth quarters.

 

For Hofstra, Sam Llinares led the way with three goals. Chris Selva started for the pride in the cage and was credited with four saves. Eddie Collins played the second half between the pipes and stopped three shots. The Pride held a 17-6 advantage the faceoff X behind Kris Clark’s 14-for-19 showing, but didn’t have an answer for the combination of Rice and Donahue.

 

Against Le Moyne, Syracuse opened up a 5-0 advantage on goals by five different players, and the Orange led 5-1 after the first quarter. SU poured in five more goals in the second quarter to push the lead to 10-3 at halftime and cruised to an 11-goal triumph.

 

In addition to Rice and Donahue’s eight combined points, senior captain Derek Maltz (Ashburn, Va.) had three assists against the Dolphins to pace the Orange offense. Wardwell received the starting nod against Le Moyne and made seven more saves.

 

In Saturday's opening game, Hofstra defeated Le Moyne, 10-8, behind three points each from Llinares (one goal, two assists) and Torin Varn (three goals).

 

Syracuse concludes its preseason exhibition schedule on Saturday, Feb. 1 in Towson, Md. with scrimmages against Towson and Bucknell starting at 10 a.m.

Thrilling Season of Racing Ahead in 2014 for DIRTcar Northeast Series

Classic tracks, new additions make for an action-packed racing schedule

 

WEEDSPORT, N.Y. - Jan. 21, 2014 - Another action-packed year of DIRTcar Racing is set to kick off soon, with the Northeast's premier traveling series taking on the region's most exciting tracks. For the 2014 season, the Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series spans from Florida to Quebec, bringing the best of the Big-Block Modfiieds to their classic venues and adding some new ones to the mix.

The DIRTcar 358-Modified Series, DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series and DIRTcar Pro Stock Series are also revving up for one of their busiest seasons in years, boasting a total of more than 60 races among the four DIRTcar Racing Northeast Region series.

The Super DIRTcar Series begins its season earlier than the rest with four races at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., bringing the cars and stars from the chilly northeast to warm Florida in February. The races, scheduled daily from Wednesday, Feb. 19, through Saturday, Feb. 22, may not be point races, but that won't stop recent series champions Brett Hearn and Matt Sheppard from trying to oust the defending DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment champion, Danny Johnson, from his throne.

Once the Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series heads back north it kicks into high gear in spring, returning to Central New York's Fulton Speedway on Saturday, April 26, for the first 100-lap feature of the season. The Super DIRTcar Series then crosses the border to Brockville Ontario Speedway in Brockville, Ontario, for an early-season special event.
The DIRTcar Sportsman Series gets an early start in 2014 as well, with a Sunday, April 27, opener scheduled at Mohawk International Raceway in Akwesasne, N.Y.

The DIRTcar 358-Modified Series opens in May, with back-to-back races at Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 18, and Merrittville Speedway on Monday, May 19. On Sunday, June 1, the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series and DIRTcar Pro Stock Series invade Cornwall Motor Speedway for a two-series special at the Ontario quarter-mile.

The month of June heats up for the Super DIRTcar Series, with star-studded races set for Tuesday, June 17, at New Egypt Speedway, Wednesday, June 25, at Utica-Rome Speedway, and Sunday, June 29, at Cornwall Motor Speedway. The DIRTcar Pro Stock Series will spend the month in Quebec, racing at Autodrome Granby Friday, June 20, and Le RPM Speedway Saturday, June 21.

In early July, the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series swings westward for consecutive race nights at Humberstone Speedway Tuesday, July 1, and Ransomville Speedway Wednesday, July 2. Ransomville Speedway will also host the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series for its infamous Battle at the Border. The very next night, the Super DIRTcar Series joins the Empire Super Sprints at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y., for a spectacular night of racing action Thursday, July 3. From there, the series roars to the Capital Region for Brett Hearn's The Big Show 6 on Tuesday, July 8, at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, where once again it will be joined by the DIRTcar Pro Stock Series.

The Super DIRTcar Series returns Tuesday, July 15, to Big Diamond Speedway, marking the first time since 2009 the series has toured the track in Minersville, Pa. The series will then head to Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, in Fultonville, N.Y., on Wednesday, July 16. Both the Super DIRTcar Series and the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series take a trip north of the border for doubleheaders Monday, July 21, at Autodrome Granby and Tuesday, July 22, at Autodrome Drummond.

Monday, Aug. 4, marks the classic Bob St. Amand, Sr. Memorial for the Super DIRTcar Series at Merrittville Speedway in Thorold, Ontario. Following at the heels is the return of the Super DIRTcar Series to Ransomville Speedway for the 30th Annual Alex Friesen Summer Nationals Tuesday, Aug. 5.

A couple nights later the Big-Block Modifieds will once again light up Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y., for the annual Hall of Fame race. The DIRTcar Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will honor the sports best contributors Wednesday, Aug. 6, and the Super DIRTcar Series will take on the history-packed track Thursday, Aug. 7.

The thrilling "Mr. DIRT Track U.S.A" at Lebanon Valley Speedway caps off the month of August for the Super DIRTcar Series on Thursday, Aug. 14. The DIRTcar 358-Modified Series carries the DIRTcar Northeast Region to the fall post-season with a Sunday, Aug. 31, 125-lapper at Cornwall Motor Speedway.

While the weekly season winds down, the DIRTcar Northeast series speed up into their final rounds with several action-packed race weekends across the region. Friday, Sept. 5, and Saturday, Sept. 6, the Super DIRTcar Series, DIRTcar 358-Modified Series and DIRTcar Pro Stock Series invade Autodrome Granby, with the first highlighting Friday's racing and the latter two taking over Saturday. Meanwhile, the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series is set to take on three tracks in as many days, starting at Ransomville Speedway Friday, Sept. 5, heading to Merrittville Speedway Saturday, Sept. 6, and concluding the weekend Sunday, Sept. 7, at Humberstone Speedway.

The following weekend, all four series trek to Mohawk International Raceway, with the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series and DIRTcar Pro Stock Series charging to the Frogtown Road track Friday, Sept. 12, and the Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series arriving Saturday, Sept. 13. Next up, the Super DIRTcar Series heads to "The Track of Champions," Fonda Speedway, Sunday, Sept. 21.

The DIRTcar 358-Modified Series, DIRTcar Sportsman Series and DIRTcar Pro Stock Series polish off the last of their season before October's NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIII at Brighton Speedway and Le RPM Speedway. Brighton celebrates Applefest Weekend Friday, Sept. 19, with the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series and Saturday, Sept. 20, with the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series. Le RPM plays host to the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series Friday, Sept. 19, and, on Saturday, Sept. 20, both the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series and DIRTcar Pro Stock Series invade the Quebec track.

All four series meet in October for "Racing's Biggest Party," NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIII. One of the biggest weeks in DIRTcar Racing, NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIII kicks off Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y., and runs through Sunday, Oct. 12, with satellite events taking over some of Central New York's premier motorsports facilities. Wednesday, Oct. 8, the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series returns to Weedsport Speedway along with the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series to jump start the week of racing. The DIRTcar 358-Modified Series then heads to Brewerton Speedway Thursday, Oct. 9, for the week's second satellite event. Championship rounds roar onto the "Moody Mile" Saturday, Oct. 11, for the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series and DIRTcar 358-Modified Series. The week concludes Sunday, Oct. 12, with championship races for the DIRTcar Pro Stock Series and the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds.

The season doesn't end there. Brockville Ontario Speedway's 1000 Islands RV Fall Nationals features the DIRTcar 358-Modified Series finale Friday, Oct. 17, the DIRTcar Sportmsan Modifeid Series finale Saturday, Oct. 18, and the Super DIRTcar Series Sunday Oct. 19.

The season concludes for the Super DIRTcar Series at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C. The thrilling World of Outlaws World Finals brings the best of the Big-Block Modified Super DIRTcar Series, the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Models Series to one of the biggest stages in the sport to crown each series champion. Qualifying begins Thursday, Nov. 6. Feature races for all three series light up the track Friday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 8.

2014 DIRTcar Northeast Region Schedule of Events
NP=Non-Point event
*All events subject to change.
Super DIRTcar Big Block Modified Series Schedule;

Date	Track	Location	Laps	Points
Wed., Feb. 19	Volusia Speedway Park	Barberville, Florida	30	N/P
Thurs., Feb 20	Volusia Speedway Park	Barberville, Florida	30	N/P
Fri., Feb. 21	Volusia Speedway Park	Barberville, Florida	30	N/P
Sat.. Feb. 22	Volusia Speedway Park	Barberville, Florida	50	N/P
Sat., April 26	Fulton Speedway	Fulton, New York	100	100
Wed., May 28	Brockville Ontario Speedway	Brockville, Ontario	TBD	100
Tues., June 17	Fulton Speedway	New Egypt, New Jersey	60	100
(Rain date June 18)
Wed., June 25	Utica-Rome Speedway	Vernon, New York	100	100
Sun., June 29	Cornwall Motor Speedway	Cornwall, Ontario	100	100
Thurs., July 3	Rolling Wheels Raceway	Elbridge, New York	TBD	100
Tues., July 8	Albany-Saratoga Speedway	Malta, New York	100	100
(Rain date July 29)
Tues., July 15	Big Diamond Speedway	Minersville, Pennsylvania	75	100
Wed., July 16	Glen Ridge Motorsports Park	Fultonville, New York	100	100
(Rain date July 30)
Mon., July 21	Autodrome Granby	Granby, Quebec	100	100
Tues., July 22	Autodrome Drummondville	Drummond, Quebec	100	100
Mon., August 4	Merrittville Speedway	Thorold, Ontario	100	100
Tues., August 5	Ransomville Speedway	Ransomville, New York	100	100
*** HALL OF FAME EVENT ***
(Wednesday, August 6 - DIRTcar Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony)
Thurs., Aug. 7	Weedsport Speedway	Weedsport, New York	100	100
Thurs., Aug. 14	Lebanon Valley Speedway	West Lebanon, New York	100	100
Sat., Sept. 6	Autodrome Granby	Granby, Quebec	100	150
Sat., Sept. 13	Mohawk International Raceway	Akwesasne, New York	100	150
Sun., Sept. 21	Fonda Speedway	Fonda, New York	100	150
*** SUPER DIRT WEEK XLIII **
Sun., Oct. 12	New York State Fairgrounds	New York State Fairgrounds	200	150
*** 6th DIRTcar FALL NATIONALS ***
Sat., Oct. 18	Brockville Ontario Speedway	Brockville, Ontario	100	150
Sun., Oct. 26	Orange County Fairgrounds Speedway	Middletown, NY	200	150
*** 8th ANNUAL WORLD FINALS ***
Thurs., Nov. 6	The Dirt Track at Charlotte (Qualifying)	Concord, North Carolina
Fri., Nov. 7	The Dirt Track at Charlotte (Race 1)	Concord, North Carolina	40	150
Sat., Nov. 8	The Dirt Track at Charlotte (Race 2)	Concord, North Carolina	40	150

* Note: To be eligible to compete at the 8^th Annual World Finals a driver must attempt to qualify for a scheduled Super DIRTcar Big Block Modified Series event during the 2014 calendar year (this includes the 42^nd Annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park).
DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Schedule;

Sun., May 18	Cornwall Speedway	Cornwall, Ontario	100	100
Mon., May 19	Merrittville Speedway	Thorold, Ontario	100	100
Tues., July 1	Humberstone Speedway	Port Colborne, Ontario	100	100
Wed., July 2	Ransomville Speedway	Ransomville, NY	75	100
Sun., Aug. 31	Cornwall Speedway	Cornwall, Ontario	125	150
Fri., Sept. 5	Autodrome Granby	Granby, Quebec	75	150
Fri., Sept. 12	Mohawk International Raceway	Akwesasne, New York	100	150
Fri., Sept. 19	Le RPM Speedway	St-Marcel De Richelieu, QC	100	150
Sat., Sept. 20	Brighton Speedway	Brighton, Ontario	100	150
Wed., Oct. 8	Cayuga County Fairgrounds Speedway	Weedsport, NY	75	150
Thurs., Oct. 9	Brewerton Speedway	Brewerton, NY	100	150
Sat., Oct. 11	New York State Fairgrounds	Syracuse, NY	150	150
Fri., Oct. 17	Brockville Speedway	Brockville Speedway	100	150

* Note: To be eligible for the Series Championship in either the Super DIRTcar Big Block Modified and/or Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified Series, a competitor must compete in 75% (percent) of the scheduled DIRTcar events at their selected DIRTcar Weekly sanctioned home track to earn the minimum portion (900) of their 'Bonus' points.
DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Schedule;

Sun., April 27	Mohawk International Speedway	Akwesasne, New York	TBD	100
Sun., June 1	Cornwall Speedway	Cornwall, Ontario	50	100
Wed., July 2	Ransomville Speedway	Ransomvlle, New York	30	100
Mon., July 21	Autodrome Granby	Granby, Quebec	30	100
Tues., July 22	Autodrome Drummond	Drummondville, Quebec	30	100
Fri., Sept. 5	Ransomville Speedway	Ransomville, NY	50	150
Sat., Sept. 6	Merrittville Speedway	Merrittville, Ontario	50	150
Sun., Sept. 7	Humberstone Speedway	Port Colborne, Ontario	50	150
Sat., Sept. 13	Mohawk International Raceway	Akwesasne, New York	50	150
Fri., Sept. 19	Brighton Speedway	Brighton, Ontario	30	150
Sat., Sept. 20	Le RPM Speedway	St. Marcel de Richlieu, QC	30	150
Wed., Oct. 8	Cayuga County Fairgrounds Speedway	Weedsport, NY	30	150
Sat., Oct. 11	New York State Fairgrounds	Syracuse, NY	30	150
Sat., Oct. 18	Brockville Speedway	Brockville, Ontario	50	150

DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Schedule;

Sun., June 1	Cornwall Speedway	Cornwall, Ontario	50	100
Fri., June 20	Autodrome Granby	Granby, Quebec	50	100
Sat., June 21	Le RPM Speedway	St. Marcel de Richlieu, QC	50	100
Tues., July 8	Albany-Saratoga Speedway	Malta, New York	30	100
Sat., Sept. 6	Autodrome Granby	Granby, Quebec	50	100
Fri., Sept. 12	Mohawk International Raceway	Akwesasne, New York	50	150
Sat., Sept. 20	Le RPM Speedway	St. Marcel de Richlieu, QC	50	150
Sun., Oct. 12	New York State Fairgrounds	Syracuse, NY	30	150

The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast Region is brought to fans by several sponsors and partners including Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Chevy Performance Parts, NAPA Auto Parts, and Safety-Kleen. Contingency partners include the University of Northwestern Ohio, Contingency sponsors are ASI, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix, ButlerBuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD Performance, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, Superflow and Wrisco Industries.

Coughlin’s Six Threes, Richards Double-Double Leads UAlbany over 87-50 UMass Lowell for Fourth-Straight Win

LOWELL, Mass. – Hitting 10 three-pointers and outrebounding their foes 54-28, UAlbany cruised past UMass Lowell 87-50 at the Costello Athletic Center for its fourth-straight victory.

“We had a phenomenal first half team defense tonight,” said UAlbany head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson.  “I loved that we crashed the boards with 23 offensive rebounds, with Tammy Phillip grabbing 19 rebounds today to lead our post players, and our team dished out 24 assists.”

Shereesha Richards earned her 10^th double-double of the year and fifth in her last sixth games for UAlbany (13-3, 3-0 AE) with 23 points and 10 rebounds.  Erin Coughlin earned a career-high six three-pointers on eight attempts and five assists.

“Erin [Coughlin] did a great job getting open and knocking down her threes,” said Abrahamson-Henderson.
Both Tammy Phillip and Margarita Rosario nearly had double-doubles.  Phillip grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds with eight points, while Rosario had nine points and seven assists.
For UMass Lowell (2-13, 1-3 AE), Lindsay Doucette had 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks.  Shannon Samuels added 12 points and six assists.

The Great Danes found their mark against the UMass Lowell zone defense to begin, firing away from beyond the arc.  Coughlin knocked down a couple of threes, followed by Rosario three from a kick out as UAlbany led early 14-6 by the first media.
The defense held down UMass Lowell with pressure on the zone and in the full court.  Coughlin hit a couple more threes as UAlbany held UMass Lowell without points for a span of four minutes, building a 25-8 advantage after 12 minutes elapsed.

UMass Lowell broke the drought with baskets from Shannon Samuels and Melissa Frase, but UAlbany countered with a 12-0 run, helped by threes from Rosario and Sarah Royals, to go up 37-12 at the final first half media.  UAlbany led 40-15 at halftime.

The second half started on a furious pace, with each side trying to get fastbreak chances.  After going back and forth to start, UMass Lowell went on a 7-0 run to get to 54-30 UAlbany.
The Great Danes struck back by attacking the paint in transition.  Helped by a couple of jumpers from Richards, UAlbany surged forward on a 24-6 run, including five-straight points from Megan Craig, to build the advantage to 78-36 with 6:52 left.

The Purple and Gold saw Jessica Féquière and Zakiya Saunders hit shots down the stretch as UAlbany finished with the 87-50 win.

“I was excited to see a lot of our younger players get a chance to play and gain some experience,” said Abrahamson-Henderson.

UAlbany returns to SEFCU Arena on Saturday for its America East home opener, taking on Maine at 2 p.m

Yacob named America East Rookie of Week

VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men’s basketball freshman guard Yosef Yacob has earned America East Rookie of the Week honors, the conference announced on Monday.

Yacob becomes the fourth BU rookie to claim the weekly honor, making Binghamton the first team in the league’s 35-year history to produce four different Rookies of the Week.

During a 1-1 week for the Bearcats, Yacob averaged 15 points and 6.5 assists. He handed out a season-high 12 assists in Binghamton’s 67-38 home win over New Hampshire on Thursday, coming up just one bucket shy of a double-double. Yacob had eight points, four rebounds and two steals and his 12-assist total was the highest of any America East player this season.  Two days later, Yacob went from distributor to scorer when he pumped in a team-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting against UMass Lowell.

In the process, Yacob raised his season averages to 10.4 points and 2.8 assists. 
Yacob joins Marlon Beck (Dec. 9, Dec. 30), Nick Madray (Nov. 11) and Magnus Richards (Nov. 25) as weekly rookie award winners. Additionally, sophomore guard Jordan Reed earned Player of the Week honors on Nov. 18 and Dec. 9.

Binghamton heads to Long Island to face Stony Brook on Wednesday.

Jennie Finch to be featured speaker at CWA Luncheon on Feb. 3

VESTAL, N.Y.—The Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association (BBAA) will host the ninth annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon presented by M&T Bank at noon on Monday, Feb. 3, at the Events Center. Held each year to recognize the achievements of Binghamton University’s female student-athletes, the luncheon also raises scholarships awarded to female student-athletes at BU.

This year, World Champion Softball Pitcher Jennie Finch will be the featured speaker. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, she was a starting pitcher on the United States squad that captured the gold medal. Four years later in Beijing, she was a member of the American team that earned the silver medal. Since 2011, she has worked as a color analyst on ESPN.

During her undergraduate career at Arizona, Finch was a three-time, first-team NFCA All-American (2000-02) and was named the Honda Sports Award Winner twice (2001 and 2002). On the mound, Finch shattered the NCAA record with 60 consecutive wins and led the Wildcats to the 2001 College World Series title.

Finch is the latest of an impressive group of guest speakers who have come to Binghamton for the Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon. She is preceded by Shannon Miller (2013), Amanda Beard (2012), Julie Foudy (2011), Kara Lawson (2010) and Jessica Mendoza (2009).

Since 2006, the Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon has raised almost $150,000 to support the BBAA Women’s Scholarship Fund.  The scholarship was established in 2007, and is awarded annually to two deserving female student-athletes. The luncheon began in 2006, with just 75 attendees, and is today one of the Athletics Department’s primary fund-raisers. In 2013, over 500 guests attended the event.

Luncheon attendees will have the opportunity to meet current Bearcat student-athletes and coaches from the women’s teams and to hear them speak about the role athletics has played in their development, careers and life. In addition, guests will have the chance to bid on several auction items with all proceeds going towards the BBAA Women’s Scholarship.

The luncheon, which is open to the public, is held each February as part of a series of national celebratory events surrounding National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD), which began in 1986. The purpose of NGWSD is to honor the achievements of all female athletes and recognize the positive influence of sports participation. Tickets for the event are $50 and table sponsorships are $600.

To request a Table Sponsorship or purchase tickets, please call 607-777-BTIX (2849) or go to bubearcats.com. To support this event, contact Bette Anne Gaube at 607-777-2093 or bgaube@binghamton.edu.

Miles and Ty Thompson Selected by Rochester Rattlers in 2014 MLL Draft

PHILADELPHIA – Miles and Ty Thompson will stay local this summer, being picked by the Rochester Rattlers in the 2014 Major League Lacrosse Entry Draft on Friday.

Miles Thompson was selected in the third round and 20^th overall by Rochester, then Ty Thompson was drafted in the fourth round and 28^th overall by the Rattlers.

The Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Draft sees current collegiate seniors get drafted by teams.  Once the players conclude their senior season, they may join the team that drafted them for the 2014 season.

The two are the first Great Danes drafted into the MLL since Joe Resetarits, who was a 5^th round selection by the Hamilton Nationals in 2012.  They are the ninth and tenth Great Danes to be drafted into the MLL, joining Joe Resetarits, Frank Resetarits (2007), Jordan Levine (2008), Brett Queener (2008), Chris Schongar (2009), Corey Small (2009), Dave Brock (2010) and Brian Caufield (2011).

Miles Thompson earned Honorable Mention All-America honors last season and is a two-time All-America East player.  Last season at attack, he scored 43 goals and 30 assists in just 12 games played, earning a place on the Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List.  He has scored a point in each of his last 36 games played, including a 14-point performance with five goals and nine assists in a victory over Stony Brook.  In his career, he currently stands with 108 goals, 68 assists and 76 ground balls.

Ty Thompson, also at attack, was the top goal-scorer in the America East last season, earning Honorable Mention All-America, Second Team all-conference honors and a place on the Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List.  He was fourth in DI with three goals per game and 23^rd in points per game with 3.78, including eight goals in a victory over UMBC, earning 54 goals last season to tally 112 goals in his UAlbany career, adding 29 assists and 51 ground balls.

Rochester begins its season on April 27^th against the Long Island Lizards.  Miles and Ty Thompson will be eligible to compete with the Rattlers when UAlbany’s 2014 season is finished.