BU Wrestling begins two-match weekend tonight at Princeton

  VESTAL, N.Y.—In the team’s final two duals before the end of the first semester, Binghamton wrestling (0-6) travels to New Jersey to face Princeton (0-4) at 7 p.m. Friday night at Dillon Gym. Then BU heads to Boston for a Sunday afternoon tilt with fellow CAA member Boston University.
The Bearcats, still in search of their first dual win of the season, have two wrestlers ranked in the nation’s top-6: senior 149-pound Donnie Vinson (No. 3, Intermat) and senior 197-pound Nate Schiedel (No. 6). Vinson is 11-0 and the reigning CAA Wrestler of the Month. Schiedel is 10-0. Both are a perfect 6-0 in duals.

Probable Starters vs. Princeton
125 • Max Rogers (P) vs. Patrick Hunter (BU)
133 • Andrew Hirai (P) vs. Derek Steeley (BU) or Dan Riggi (BU)
141 • Nick Maselli (P) or Kevin Moylan (P) vs. Tyler Pendergast (BU) or Colton Perry (BU)
149 • Zach Bintliff (P) vs. No. 3 Donnie Vinson (BU)
157 • Kyle Roddy (P) or Seth Hazleton (P) vs. Jack McKeever (BU)
165 • Judd Ziegler (P) vs. Vincent Grella (BU) or Adam Lepkowski (BU)
174 • Ryan Callahan (P) vs. John Paris (BU)
184 • Scott Gibbons (P) vs. Cody Reed (BU)
197 • Dan Santoro (P) vs. No. 6 Nate Schiedel (BU)
285 • Cole Lampman (P) vs. Tyler Deuel (BU)

Men’s basketball heads to Rhode Island

VESTAL, N.Y.—Binghamton men’s basketball heads to Smithfield, R.I. to face Bryant Saturday afternoon - the team’s third straight encounter with a member of the Northeast Conference.
The Bearcats (2-7) and Bulldogs (4-3) tip off at 1 p.m. from the Chace Athletic Center.
Binghamton has dropped three in a row after winning two straight. The Bearcats shot the ball well in close losses to Mt. St. Mary’s (71-70) and Monmouth (77-65) but turnovers were the difference. On Monday against Monmouth, the visiting Hawks turned 21 turnovers into 32 points and spoiled a terrific performance from freshman guard Jordan Reed, who tallied game-highs of 26 points and 10 rebounds.

Playing the second game in a three-day stretch, the Bearcats shot 42 percent and won the rebound battle but were undone by the Monmouth’s pressure.

Reed, who leads the entire America East in both scoring (18.7 ppg.) and rebounding (10.3 rpg.), ranks eighth in the nation in double-doubles and registered his fifth double-double in seven collegiate games. He hit 10-of-17 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the line. He added four steals and two assists in 33 minutes.

Senior guard Jimmy Gray chipped in 10 points and five assists. Junior center Roland Brown had eight points and six rebounds in 19 minutes of work.

The Bearcats have four players averaging 8.0 or more points. Reed (18.7 ppg.), Gray (9.4 ppg.), Brown (8.9 ppg.) and junior guard Rayner Moquete (8.2 ppg.) pace an offense that is averaging 61 points per game. The Bearcats are outrebounding opposition by 1.4 per game, led by Reed (10.3 rpg.) and Brown (5.8 rpg.).

Bryant is coming off a 64-62 loss to Yale at the buzzer Wednesday night at home. After the Bulldogs missed the front-end of a 1-and-1 with seven seconds left, Yale came down and misfired before getting the winning tip-in as the horn sounded. Sophomore guard Dyami Starks finished the game with a contest-high 22 points for Bryant, which saw its four-game winning streak snapped in the defeat. Junior forward Alex Francis added 19 for the hosts on an 8-of-12 night as the Bulldogs shot 52.1 percent from the field as a unit.

Starks, a transfer from Columbia, leads the team in points per game (17.3), steals (8), field goals made (44), 3-pointers made (20), 3-point field goal percentage (.351) and free throw percentage (.813). His scoring average ranks fourth in the Northeast Conference and his 20 triples are tied for tops in the league. He has scored 20 or more points in three of the last four games, including a career-high 25 at Brown Nov. 21, and was awarded the program’s first-ever Northeast Conference Player of the Week accolade on Nov. 26. Starks averages 35.4 minutes per game (8th most in the NEC) and his 25-point performance against the Bears is the highest scoring output of any Bulldog this season.
Prior to the Yale loss, Bryant had won four straight games, including two wins over teams that own victories over the Bearcats (Brown and Army). The Bulldogs also scored the program’s most notable win when they beat ACC member Boston College, 56-54, on the road on Nov. 25. Bryant also has a victory over fellow America East member New Hampshire (76-64). The Bulldogs began their season with a 97-54 loss to No. 1 Indiana.

The 2012-13 season is Bryant’s first as a fully-eligible Division I program (postseason) after making the transition from Division II. The school completed a four-year NCAA mandated transition period that began in 2008-09. The Bulldogs were picked to finish 10th in the 12-team NEC. The team returns 10 letterwinners and its top four scorers from a 2-28 team of a year ago.

The game marks the third meeting between Binghamton and Bryant but first at the Division I level. The teams met twice during the 2000-01 season with Bryant winning each time - 61-50 at home and 89-81 in overtime at the Events Center two months later.

Baseball releases 2013 schedule

Bearcats begin 50-game slate February 22 at James Madison

Having opened its new state-of-the-art stadium in the fall, Binghamton baseball heads into its 2013 spring season with a home field and added enthusiasm. The team’s 50-game slate begins with a four-game weekend series at CAA-member James Madison on February 22-24.

The series against the Dukes begins an abbreviated 12-game non-conference stretch before the America East slate begins with a three-game set at UMBC on March 16. The starting date for conference play is three weeks earlier than previous years, giving teams less time to solidify their lineups before beginning the grind of 30 league games.

“Each and every year you create a schedule with one thing in mind ... how can we best prepare our players in non-conference games so that they are ready to compete for an America East Conference championship,” Sinicki said. “There is no question in my mind that we have done that in 2013.”

After the trip to Harrisonburg, Va. to face James Madison, BU returns to Virginia for a four-game series with Virginia Military Institute on March 1-3. The Keydets play out of the Big South Conference.

“It’s been a few years since we’ve taken our teams to James Madison and VMI, but I know both those coaching staffs working extremely hard and prepare them teams very well every season so those will be difficult tests right out of the gate,” 21-year head coach Tim Sinicki said.

After league play opens, BU will face non-conference foes from four different conferences (Patriot League, MAAC, Ivy League, Atlantic 10), including single home-and-away games with traditional rivals Cornell, Siena and Marist. The Big Red won 31 games last spring and advanced to the NCAA regionals. Marist won 25 games to continue its solid standing in the MAAC. The Bearcats will also play Bucknell (March 26) and St. Bonaventure (April 17).

Unlike previous years, Binghamton has nine conference games scheduled for March, highlighted by a three-game home set against 2012 conference champion and College World Series participant Stony Brook on March 23-24. Weather permitting, they will be the earliest home games in the program’s 11-year Division I tenure. The earliest home game during that span has been a March 28 doubleheader against Niagara in 2006.

The new facility, which was completed in September, affords the Bearcats a home schedule that was missing in 2012 and the 19 scheduled games at the home complex will give fans a good opportunity (and comfortable seats) to support their team.

“We are all looking forward to playing back on campus this spring in our new facility,” Sinicki said. “Nineteen home games is the most we’ve ever had in a spring season. We are hoping to really create excitement and a great environment here on campus, and turn the new facility into a true home field advantage.”

The top four teams in the conference will advance to the America East Championship, held May 22-25 at the home field of the highest seed. The conference postseason champion receives an automatic berth into the NCAA regionals. Since 2004 BU has maintained the second-highest win percentage in the conference (63%). Binghamton captured the regular season and postseason titles in 2009, advancing to the NCAA regionals.

“With the new format we now play 30 conference games in what I think is an ever-improving America East Conference,” Sinicki said. “The balance within the conference is at an all-time high and trying to figure out who will finish first through sixth is like splitting hairs.”

FREE Basketball Tickets

Pack-the-House Day Sunday, December 30 at  2:00pm Men's Basketball vs. Cornell at the Events Center

Stop by any Binghamton area WEIS Market to pick-up coupons for FREE tickets. Coupons must be redeemed for game tickets at the Events Center Box Office.

Regular Events Center Box Office Hours –

• Monday thru Friday from noon to 4:30pm
• Box Office will be closed Friday, December 21 to Friday, December 28
• Box Office will open at noon on Sunday, December 30.

Free game tickets distributed to the first 2,000 redeemed.

For questions, call 607-777-3741.

UAlbany Women's Basketball Will Try to Extend Win Streak to Five at Canisius

THE STARTING FIVE 1. The Game UAlbany is visiting Buffalo in the ninth game of 2012 to take on Canisius. Canisius leads the series, 2-0, after posting a 64-60 win over the Great Danes last season at the SEFCU Arena. Ebone Henry paced UAlbany, recording her first double-double of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, while also totaling four steals. Courtney VandeBovenkamp scored a season-high 14 points to lead Canisius to the comeback victory. 2. Scouting UAlbany The Great Danes stand at 6-2 on the season, after defeating La Salle, 75-36, on Wednesday. Center Megan Craig, who currently leads the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game, scored a career-high 27 points against Dartmouth, en route to earning her first America East Player of the Week honor last week. Two-time defending Defensive Player of the Year Ebone Henry has continued to show why she has earned that title, as she leads the Great Danes with 21 steals, while also scoring at a 10.9 clip. Julie Forster chips in with 8.9 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game, while Lindsey Lowrie adds 8.5 points, after scoring a team-high 12 versus Siena. 3. Scouting Canisius Brittany Wilson and Shanel Harrison both recorded double-doubles in a 65-56 loss at Penn on Friday night. Wilson, who recorded her sixth 20+ point game with a game-high 24 points, is averaging a team-high 21.5 ppg, and is also pulling down a team-best 7.8 rpg. Harrison is second on the squad, scoring at an 8.6 ppg clip, while Ebonee Jones adds 7.8 ppg. The Explorers were picked to finish ninth in the 16-team Atlantic 10 this season 4. Road Warriors Tonight’s game is the third in a seven-game road stretch for the Great Danes that spans from Dec. 1 to Jan. 15. Over the course of the month and a half, UAlbany will travel over 8,260 miles, visiting Philadelphia, Buffalo, Dover, Del., Long Beach, Calif., Baltimore, and Binghamton. 5. Youngsters on the Rise Freshman Shereesha Richards scored 17 points, while also recording four rebounds, three steals, one assist, and one block to lead the Great Danes over La Salle. The freshman forward has made her presence known so far this season, as she is averaging xx points per game, coming off the bench. She went 7-of-9 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free throw line against La Salle.

 

UAlbany And Colgate Tip-Off On Saturday In Hamilton, N.Y.

1. State Supremacy UAlbany faces its final non-conference New York school on Saturday, Dec. 8 against Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y. at Cotterell Court. The Great Danes have already defeated Staten Island's Wagner (66-63), Loudonville's Siena College (69-56), and Brooklyn Heights' St. Francis (77-73). The Great Danes are currently 4-13 all-time against the Colgate Raiders. However, UAlbany is 4-3 against the Raiders since entering Division I. 2. Danes Remain Perfect At HomeFollowing a very emotional win over crosstown rival Siena at the Times Union Center, UAlbany looked to stay perfect in the SEFCU Arena. The Danes defeated Duquesne and Wagner earlier in the season at home. Beginning the game with an 18-0, UAlbany felt as though the game was already over. St. Francis climbed back to keep the game within reach. However, 21 points by senior guard Mike Black and 20 points by Jacob Iati, including two clutch free throws proved to be too much for the Terriers in the end. 3. The A In UAlbany Stands For Accuracy A big reason for the hot start through the first nine games has been the team's accurate shooting. Overall, the Great Danes are shooting a staggering 46.4 percent (205-442), which is 64th best in the nation. From behind the arc, UAlbany is shooting 40.5 percent (66-163), which ranks them tied-for 22nd in the nation. At the charity stripe, the team is hitting 73.3 percent (137-187) of its free throws, putting them tied-for 69th in the country. 4. A Homely-Feeling DecemberEven though UAlbany went 5-2 in the month of November having traveled 6768 miles and played six games in 12 day, the Great Danes will have a chance to use the month of December to recharge their traveling batteries. In the seven games, UAlbany will have to travel just 944 miles (720 round trip to Navy) while playing four games in the SEFCU Arena. 5. Cracking The Mid-Major Top-25For the second time in program history, UAlbany men's basketball cracked the College Insider Mid-Major Top-25 poll on Monday, Dec. 2 ranked 25th with 61 votes. The last time UAlbany was placed in the mid-major top-25 was on Nov. 8, 2006, following its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. UAlbany is off to its best start in Division I with a 6-2 record through the first eight games.

 

Todd Wolin Promoted To Assistant Director Of Track & Field/Cross Country

ALBANY, N.Y. – In his seventh year at the University at Albany, Todd Wolin has been promoted to the program’s Assistant Director of Track & Field/Cross Country. His coaching duties include the combined events, high jump, and high hurdles, while also overseeing pole vault and throws. In addition, Wolin is the program’s historian and record keeper.   This past summer, Wolin coached Alex Bowen in the high jump, as he became the University at Albany’s first USA Track & Field Junior National Champion. Bowen also broke the indoor high jump school record with a leap of 7’ 0.25", while capturing America East crowns in the high jump at both the indoor and outdoor championships during the 2011-2012 school year. A year prior, Matthew Catera placed seventh at the Junior National Championships in the decathlon with 6,399 points. Under Wolin’s direction, Catera set the school standard for the decathlon earlier in the 2011 season by scoring 6.637 points.   Since his arrival at UAlbany, Wolin coached javelin thrower Marc Pallozzi, an All-American, IC4A and America East champion, and has worked with NCAA All-Americans Joe Greene and Alie Beauvais in the 400m intermediate hurdles, as well as Luke Schoen in pole vault. He has seen school records broken in the men’s decathlon, heptathlon, pentathlon, men's and women's javelin, men's and women's weight throw, women's indoor and outdoor high jump, men’s and women’s 400m intermediate hurdles, men’s and women’s shuttle hurdle relays, as well as, men's and women's indoor and outdoor pole vault. Wolin's athletes -- David Parker, Alfonso Scannapieco and Freddie Wills III -- have posted three of the top five scores all-time in the heptathlon at the America East Championships and all have won numerous individual conference titles. In addition, Wolin’s athletes are responsible for America East Championship records in the following events: David Parker - indoor heptathlon, Jean Juste - 55m high hurdles, 110m high hurdles, Kamilah McShine - 55m high hurdles, Luke Schoen - outdoor pole vault, Joe Greene - 400m intermediate hurdles.   Wolin has also had a hand in the success of NCAA East Regional hurdler qualifiers Jean Juste and Kamilah McShine, high jump qualifiers Freddie Wills III, Brenna Militello and Alexander Bowen, and pole vault qualifier Alfonso Scannapieco. His athletes are listed on UAlbany's top-ten lists over 100 times. Wolin has coached UAlbany’s all-time top point scorers in America East history for both men and women in Wills (138 points) and McShine (123 points). Wills won three individual titles under Wolin in the high jump (indoor and outdoor) and the decathlon. McShine won three indoor and two outdoor high hurdle championships and two pentathlon crowns. With the help of Coach Wolin, Scannapieco has won two pole vault and one heptathlon title, while being named the Indoor America East Field Event Athlete of the Year.   In addition to his responsibilities at UAlbany, Wolin is beginning his fourth year as the America East Conference representative on the Division I Track & Field Executive Committee for the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). He is the only non-head coach in the nation on the committee. He will also serve as the liaison to the Track & Field community in the Capital Region.   Wolin came to UAlbany after coaching track & field and cross country at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, N.Y. from 1991-2001 and 2001-2006. The four-time Nassau County indoor and outdoor track Coach of the Year headed five county championship teams. Wolin took over the reins of the St. Anthony's High School boys' track & field program, leading the Friars to a Catholic League outdoor title in 2001 before returning to JFK in August of the same year. He coached five high school All-Americans and over 30 nationally-ranked athletes in 19 different events.   He was also the head track & field coach of the U.S. junior track & field team at the 2005 World Maccabiah Games as well as the assistant track and field coach for the United States Para-Olympic Track Team from 1992 to 2000. Wolin coached the Long Island Region women's track and field team at the Empire State Games from 2004 to 2006, and was the team's high jump/pole vault coach from 1989 to 2003.   Wolin received his associate's degree in culinary arts from Washtenau Community College in 1985 and a bachelor's degree in food systems management from Eastern Michigan University in 1988, where his marks in the high jump, javelin, weight throw and pentathlon are on the school's all-time lists. In 1995 he earned his Master’s in Special Education at C.W. Post University. Last year, Wolin earned his USA Track & Field Level 1 Certification. He currently resides in Ballston Lake with his wife, Stefanie.