Baseball Announces 54-Game Slate For 2013

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany baseball program, led by head coach Jon Mueller in his 13th year at the helm, has announced a 54-game slate for the 2013 season. The Great Danes will play 13 games against teams that made NCAA Tournament appearances a year ago, including SEC powerhouse South Carolina, who won the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in 2010 and 2011, and finished 2012 as the nation’s runner-up.

“This schedule will prepare our team for the very challenging America East Conference,” said Coach Mueller. “It is our hope and primary goal to challenge our team early and establish roles before we enter our conference slate.”

UAlbany will play its first 18 games on the road, kicking off the season February 15-17^th in Cary, N.C. at Wright State’s USA Baseball Complex Classic. The Great Danes will play single games against Canisius, last year’s MAAC runner-up, Mid-American Conference’s Toledo, Wright State of the Horizon League, and 2012 CAA runner-up Delaware.

From there, UAlbany will meet the Gamecocks for the first time in program history in a three-game series at Carolina Stadium (Feb. 22-24).

Moving from one premier venue to another, the Great Danes will face UNC Greensboro, playing three games versus the Southern Conference’s Spartans (March 1-3).

A trip to Hofstra (March 6) for a single contest and then to NYIT (March 9-10) for a pair of doubleheaders will mark the Danes’ final exams before opening America East Conference play at Hartford on March 16^th. The league-opening series against the Hawks will represent the first three clashes in a 30-game league schedule. The six America East schools will play a six-game series against each other in a pair of three-game home-and-home series.

The Great Danes open their 19-game home schedule at Varsity Field March 19^th versus Marist. UAlbany will also go to the Red Foxes’ home diamond on April 9^th. Sandwiched between two conference series at UMBC (March 23-24) and vs. Maine (March 30-31), UAlbany will travel to Ithaca, N.Y. for a doubleheader against the reigning Ivy League champions and 2012 NCAA Tournament competitors, Cornell, on March 26^th.

Also out of conference, the Danes will host the winningest baseball program in NCAA history in the Atlantic 10’s Fordham, on April 2^nd, before welcoming Stony Brook, the reigning America East champions and 2012 World Series participants, to Varsity Field (April 6-7). UAlbany will also travel to face the Seawolves May 11-12^th.

Midweek through the month of April, UAlbany will make a trip to St. Johns on the 16^th. The Red Storm won the Big East Tournament and regular season titles a year ago and made an NCAA Super Regional appearance. The following week, the Danes will go to Manhattan, the reigning MAAC champions, on the 24^th, as well as host Central Connecticut State of the NEC on April 30^th. UAlbany wraps its home-and-home series with Hofstra on May 9^th, and closes the regular season at home versus league-foe Binghamton, May 17-18^th.

The top four teams in the conference will advance to the America East Championship, held May 22-25^th at the home field of the highest seed. The conference postseason champion will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA regionals.

Men’s Tennis Signs Standout Recruit From Long Island

VESTAL, N.Y.—Binghamton men’s tennis coach Adam Cohen has tapped in-state talent, signing elite Long Island player Doug Notaris (Wantagh, N.Y.) to a National Letter of Intent.

Notaris, a lefty player and honors student, will join the Bearcats for the 2013-14 year.

“We look forward to Doug contributing to our success,” Cohen said. “He fits the mold of the kind of student-athlete we want representing Binghamton University. He has a solid tennis background and outstanding academic achievement. I’m excited to have him join us next fall.”

Notaris, the No. 1 player at Wantagh High, was ranked No. 112 in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Boys 16s and No. 11 in the Eastern Section. He has played more than 80 USTA tournaments and is a five-time sectional tournament finalist. Notaris has won more than 20 Level 1 tournaments and has posted nearly 50 match wins in national events over the last two years.

Off the court, he is a National Honor Society member who has been on Wantagh’s Honor Roll every semester in high school.

Binghamton men’s tennis is one of the premier programs in the America East in any sport. Cohen, four-time conference Coach of the Year, has led the Bearcats to five consecutive America East crowns. His program has also produced the highest team GPA of any sport from any school in each of the last two years.

Wrestling Strikes Gold With Recruiting Class

VESTAL, N.Y. – Head wrestling coach Matt Dernlan and his staff have produced the best early decision recruiting class in the program’s history, locking in six high school standouts. The class includes a pair of top 100 wrestlers and two more multi-state champions.

Amateur Wrestling News has ranked the class 14th best in the nation.

Set to join the Bearcats for the 2013-14 season are: Zack Zupan (Canastota, N.Y./Canastota), Nick Kelley (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa), Nick Tighe (Phoenix, N.Y./Phoenix), David Almaviva (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa), Kyle Kelly (Chenango Forks, N.Y./Chenango Forks) and Bryce Mazurowski (Avon, N.Y./Avon)

“This class makes a good statement for our program moving forward,” Dernlan said. “We accomplished our objectives on a number of fronts ... first we brought in guys who will help us contend for an NCAA title and center our program around kids from New York State. These are six of the 10 best kids in the entire state. They also have characteristics we’re looking to build on. Each of these wrestlers has unbelievable talent but more than anything, they have a huge upside at the next level. They have fundamental qualities we’re looking for, which is the fight to be successful. All six can make an impact for us right out of the gate and we’re very excited to welcome them to our program.”
  
Below is a capsule look at each recruit.

Zack Zupan
- 2012 NYS champion
- Three-time NYS placewinner
- No. 87 overall recruit in country (Flowrestling)
- No. 1 recruit in NYS (New York Wrestling News)
- Won Virginia Beach Freshman Nationals and was runnerup at Sophomore Nationals
- Placed eighth at 2012 Flo Nationals
- Set NYS football record for most tackles in a season
- Projected to wrestle at 174/84

Coach Dernlan says ...
“Zack is an incredibly gifted athlete. He has talent through the roof but it’s untapped because he’s a three-sport athlete. We’re excited about his upside once he solely focuses on wrestling.”

Nick Kelley
- Five-time NYS qualifier
- No. 93 overall recruit in country (Flowrestling)
- No. 6 132-pounder in country (Flowrestling)
- No. 2 recruit in NYS (New York Wrestling News)
- Placed fifth at 2011 Flo Nationals and fourth at Fargo Junior Nationals
- Projected to wrestle at 141/49

Coach Dernlan says ...
“Nick has incredible talent but on top of that, he wrestles as hard as any kid I’ve been around my entire life ... and that’s a big statement. He’s going to benefit from the extra minute in college wrestling because he doesn’t get tired. That’s going to be a difference maker for him.”

Nick Tighe
- Two-time NYS champion (2011, 2012)
- No. 15 recruit in country at his weight
- No. 3 recruit in NYS (New York Wrestling News)
- Placed seventh at 2011 Virginia Beach Sophomore Nationals and fourth as freshman
- Projected to wrestle at 133/41

Coach Dernlan says ... 
“Nick had one of the finest scholastic careers of anyone in the past decade of wrestling in New York State, He’s tenacious and has an unbelievable work ethic. He’s really good on top and has a motor that can go all day.”

David Almaviva
- Placed third at 2012 NYS Championship
- Two-time NYS qualifier
- Placed eighth at 2012 Fargo Junior Nationals
- No. 7 recruit in NYS (New York Wrestling News)
- Projected to wrestle at 149/57

Coach Dernlan says ... 
“David is another extremely gifted athlete. He’s probably one of the most technically sound kids I’ve been around in number of years.”

Kyle Kelly
- Local recruit
- Two-time NYS champion
- Posted back-to-back undefeated sophomore and junior seasons (75-0)
- Placed fifth at 2012 Virginia Beach Junior Nationals
- Two-time Junior National Greco Roman All-American (7th, 7th)
- Ranked No. 6 at his weight in country (Flowrestling)
- No. 9 recruit in NYS (New York Wrestling News)
- Projected to wrestle at 125

Coach Dernlan says ... 
“On paper, Kyle is probably the most credentialed wrestler in the state. It’s always our goal to keep the Section 4 kids at home so getting Kyle is huge. He’s going to be a very special athlete at the next level.”

Bryce Mazurowski
- Three-time NYS qualifier
- Runnerup at 2012 NYS Championship
- Went 46-2 as junior with 30 consecutive wins
- Projected to wrestle at 197

Coach Dernlan says ...
“Bryce has an unbelievable upside once he gets the proper training. He has all the ability and hunger to get better and will jump to extremely high levels. I’m excited to be part of his growth.”
 

Micro Sprints Take Center Stage in only Hot Wings TV Episode of 2012

Rich Vleck, ROCHESTER , NY (December 4, 2012)- The micro sprints return to the focus of Hot Wings TV this month in the fifth year of the television program

 

The Fall Classic for the Original Pizza Logs 600 Sprint Tour from the Paradise Speedway will begin airing this week and run through the end of the year to showcase a host of driving talents.  It is the fourth time in the last four years this event has been shown on Hot Wings TV.

 

As was the case in past years, the late-season showcase event featured a unique format in which their was a dash to help set the starting lineup, the A-Main was 50 laps in distance and the top-six redrew during the fuel stop on lap 25.  All of it helped to once again make this event truly special.

 

Highlights of all aspects of the 600 pro division at the smooth ¼-mile are laid out throughout the night.  See former modified and sprint competitors take on a host of youngsters including some that have developed quite a knack for handling their winged warriors.

 

Along with two manned cameras and a “speed shot”, seven on-board cameras were utilized throughout the night to gain stunning images to help make this episode complete.

 

Along with all of the racing action from Geneva , Pit Reporter Greg Birosh will explore the cockpit adjustment options available on many micro sprints in the Hyper Racing Tech Tip.  In this episode’s edition, Greg will talk with racer and Hyper Racing Employee Jim Radney about the details necessary on getting the motorcycle engines in to a micro sprint frame.

 

Host Doug Elkins and Commentator Rich Vleck once again have the call from all of the action at the track in what turned out to be a thrilling night of racing.

 

Scheduled airtimes are listed below for Central and Western New York , with the Albany Airtimes Unknown at this time.  Additional airtimes may still be added.  Those slots, like all others, are listed on the all-new show website, www.HotWingsMedia.com.  Stay tuned to the website as this episode will be posted for on-demand Internet viewing.

 

This ediction of Hot Wings TV was made possible by The Original Pizza Logs 600 Sprint Tour, Paradise Speedway, DR Motorsports, Schwartz Excavating, Mike Emhof Motorsports, Ruggles World of Autobody and Dirty Dave’s Bar and Grill.

 

Hot Wings TV Airdates from Paradise (Additional Times TBD)

 

TWCS WNY

( Buffalo , Channel 13)

Dec 05, 2012 at 06:00 pm

Dec 06, 2012 at 10:00 pm

Dec 08, 2012 at 06:00 pm

Dec 09, 2012 at 10:00 pm

Dec 10, 2012 at 03:00 pm

Dec 12, 2012 at 06:00 pm

Dec 16, 2012 at 12:30 pm

Dec 21, 2012 at 10:00 pm

Dec 25, 2012 at 06:00 pm

TWCS Rochester- HD Channel 1026

( Rochester and Northern Finger Lakes , SD Channel 26)

Dec 05, 2012 at 06:00 pm

Dec 06, 2012 at 10:00 pm

Dec 08, 2012 at 06:00 pm

Dec 09, 2012 at 10:00 pm

Dec 10, 2012 at 03:00 pm

Dec 12, 2012 at 06:00 pm

Dec 16, 2012 at 12:30 pm

Dec 21, 2012 at 10:00 pm

Dec 25, 2012 at 06:00 pm

 

TWS CNY – HD Channel 813

Standard Definition Channel Listings

(Includes Syracuse , Utica-Rome, North Country, Southern Tier and Southern Finger Lakes )

Dec 04, 2012 at 06:00 pm

Dec 05, 2012 at 10:00 am

Dec 08, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Dec 09, 2012 at 08:00 pm

Dec 11, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Dec 13, 2012 at 10:00 am

Dec 15, 2012 at 04:00 pm

Dec 18, 2012 at 10:00 am

Dec 19, 2012 at 06:00 pm

Dec 21, 2012 at 06:00 pm

Dec 25, 2012 at 10:00 am

Dec 28, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Dec 29, 2012 at 04:00 pm

 

TWCS Albany

(Capital Region, Western Mass. , Channel 3)

All Air Times TBD

Men's Basketball Stays Perfect At Home To Defeat St. Francis, 77-73

ALBANY, N.Y. - Shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe by senior guard Jacob Iati, including two clutch free throws in the finals seconds of the contest helped UAlbany defeat St. Francis, 77-73, on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at the SEFCU Arena. Iati scored 20 points, tallying four three-pointers to extend his streak of at least one three in a game to 17 games.   "This difference in tonight's game was how hard we played and making free throws down the stretch also helped", said Iati on the Great Danes fourth consecutive win.   Senior guard Mike Black paced the Great Danes with a game-high 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting and five rebounds. Senior center Blake Metcalf grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds, two shy of his career-high 15, along with six points and three assists. As a team, UAlbany had the advantage in rebounds, 37-27 and shot 74.1 percent (20-27) from the free-throw line.   St. Francis' Travis Nichols had a team-best 21 points and six rebounds for the game. Ben Mockford scored all 18 of his points from behind the arc, shooting 6-of-12 from three-point land. The Terriers had a game-best 2-to-1 assists to turnover ratio (16:8) and seven steals.   UAlbany (7-2) began the game on an eye-popping 18-0 run with 10:32 remaining in the game. The Great Danes defense held the Terriers to zero points through their first 13 shots. Two consecutive threes during the stretch by junior guard DJ Evans helped catapult the Danes to the early lead.   St. Francis (2-4), however, woke up from its deep slumber and went on its own 22-7 run to cut the deficit to three, 25-22, with 4:37 remaining in the first half. The Terriers' Nichols scored 13 of his team-high 21 points to put St. Francis within three.   Black hit two of his four three-pointers to spark a 10-4 run to end the half and give the Great Danes a nine-point lead, 35-26.   The Terriers shook off their first half 31.3 percent shooting (10-32) from the floor and began the second half on a 13-3 run to grab their first lead of game, 39-38, with 16:29 remaining in the game. Akeem Johnson led the Terriers with six points during the run.   Just seconds after the Terriers grabbed its first lead of the game, Iati hit a three at the top of the key to put the Danes back up to two, 41-39, with 16:20 left. UAlbany did not look back from that point on, extending its lead to as much as 11 at one point during the final 16 minutes of the game.   A deep three-pointer by Mockford got the Terriers to as close as one, 70-69, with 33 seconds remaining. However, the Great Danes shot 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, in the final seconds, to lock up their seventh win of the season.   "This is a resisilent group and it is much easier to learn from a win than from a loss", said head coach Will Brown about his 7-2 squad. "I have said it all along, we have a ways to go, 7-2 is a great, but the good thing about this group is we have a lot of areas that we can improve to take the next step. UAlbany goes for its fifth straight win on Saturday, Dec. 8 against Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y. Tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m.

SYRACUSE PLACES FIVE ON ALL-BIG EAST FOOTBALL TEAMS

ROVIDENCE, R.I. – Five Syracuse University seniors were rewarded with All-BIG EAST honors Thursday, Dec. 6 when the conference announced its major award winners and football all-conference teams. Receiver Alec Lemon, offensive tackle Justin Pugh and safety Shamarko Thomas were named to the first team. Senior Quarterback Ryan Nassib and defensive end Brandon Sharpe were selected on the second team.

 

Voting for the individual awards and all-conference teams was conducted by the league’s eight head coaches following the conclusion of the regular season. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

 

An All-BIG EAST Second Team selection last year, Lemon was the only offensive player unanimously named to the 2012 first team. He leads the conference in receptions per game (6.4) and receiving yards per game (96.6). Lemon has a school-record 70 receptions for 1,063 yards and seven touchdowns this season, including five 100-yard receiving games. Against Missouri on Nov. 17, Lemon caught 12 passes for a career-high 244 yards and two TDs to lead the Orange to a come-from-behind win against the Tigers.

 

This is Pugh’s third straight all-conference selection, and his second consecutive first-team nod. After missing the first four games of the year with an injury, he returned to the Syracuse lineup to anchor an offensive line that as has paved the way for 1,000-yard rusher Jerome Smith. In addition, the Orange is averaging 171.8 yards per game on the ground, the team’s best rushing output since 2004. Pugh and the rest of the SU front five have allowed just 14 sacks this season or one every 32.1 pass attempts.

 

Thomas has started all 12 games at safety and he is the Orange’s top tackler with 84 stops. He also leads the team with three forced fumbles and has two interceptions on the year. For his career, Thomas is sixth among Orange defensive backs with 259 total tackles.

 

Nassib leads the BIG EAST in total offense (312.3 yards per game) and passing (301.6 yards per game). In addition, he set the Orange single-season records for attempts (448), completions (283), yards (3,619) and touchdowns (24) in 2012. Nassib has accumulated 3,748 yards of total offense this year, another SU season record, and he has recorded six 300-yard passing games.

 

Sharpe ranks third in the league with six sacks and he is tied for fourth in the BIG EAST with a team-leading 13.5 tackles for a loss. Against Pittsburgh Sharpe had one of the most dominating games for an SU defensive lineman  recent memory, finishing with seven tackles, including six for a loss and four sacks. Overall, Sharpe has 35 tackles.

 

The conference’s major awards went to Louisville, Rutgers and Temple. Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was tabbed BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, and Cardinal head coach Charlie Strong shared conference coach of the year honors with Rutgers’ Kyle Flood. Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene was voted BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Temple took home the final two awards with running back Matt Brown and linebacker Tyler Matekevich winning BIG EAST Special Teams Player of the Year and BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, respectively.

 

Syracuse will face West Virginia in the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 29 at Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. on ESPN. Tickets and travel packages for the game are available now atSUathletics.com/bowlcentral.

 

SYRACUSE RELEASES 2013 MEN’S LACROSSE SCHEDULE

SYRACUSE, N.Y.  – Syracuse University men’s head lacrosse coach John Desko released the team’s 2013 schedule on Thursday, Dec. 6. This year’s 14-game regular-season slate features eight home games, four road dates and two neutral-site appearances in events organized by Inside Lacrosse.

 

Syracuse opens the season with three consecutive home games. The Orange will host Albany on Feb. 17 as part of a doubleheader with the Orange women’s team, and Army makes its annual Carrier Dome visit as part of another men’s and women’s lacrosse doubleheader on Feb. 24. The homestand concludes on March 1 when Syracuse welcomes perennial national title contender Virginia to the Dome.

 

The Orange begins BIG EAST Conference play with a neutral-site matchup against St. John’s (March 9) in the inaugural Whitman’s Sampler Independence Classic. The game is the opening contest of a tripleheader arranged by Inside Lacrosse at PPL Park in Chester, Pa.

 

Following its date with the Red Storm, Syracuse returns home for a game against archrival Johns Hopkins (March 16). Road dates against BIG EAST foes Providence (March 19) and Villanova (March 23) precede a home game against Canisius. The date for the Canisius game has not yet been determined.

 

In April, the Orange visits Princeton (April 6) then returns to the Dome for three more consecutive home dates. Syracuse opens the stretch against Central New York rival Cornell on April 10. A visit by Rutgers follows on April 13, and Syracuse hosts Hobart in its home regular-season finale on April 16.

 

A visit to Georgetown (April 20,) and a game versus Notre Dame at Metlife Stadium as part of the 2013 Konica Minolta Big City Classic on April 27, rounds out the schedule.

 

Following the regular season, the top four teams in the BIG EAST standings will advance to the conference tournament, which will be held from May 2-4 at Villanova. The winner will be crowned league champion and receives the BIG EAST’s automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship.

 

Overall, Syracuse’s 14 regular-season opponents combined for a 110-97 (.531) record a year ago. Five of its opponents (Virginia, Johns Hopkins, Canisius, Princeton and Notre Dame) qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year with Notre Dame reaching the national semifinals.

 

In addition to its eight regular-season home games, the Orange will also play two preseason scrimmages. Hofstra and Holy Cross visit the Dome for a three-way scrimmage on Jan. 26. Syracuse will travel to Columbus, Ohio on Feb. 2 to face Ohio State and Robert Morris in another three-way exhibition.

 

The 2013 season marks the 94th varsity lacrosse campaign for the Orange. Last year, Syracuse defeated Villanova and St. John’s to win the inaugural BIG EAST Championship. Syracuse finished 9-8 overall and reached the NCAA Tournament, losing at Duke in the first round, 12-9.

 

 

2013 SYRACUSE MEN’S LACROSSE SCHEDULE

 

February                           

Sat., Jan. 26 – Hofstra/Holy Cross (scrimmage), 10 a.m.

Sat., Feb. 2 – at Ohio State/Robert Morris (scrimmage), 11:30 a.m.

Sun., Feb. 17 – Albany, 4 p.m.

Sun., Feb. 24 – Army, 4 p.m.

 

March

Fri., March 1 – Virginia, TBA

Sat., March 9 – vs. St. John’s (Chester, Pa.), 12 p.m.

Sat., March 16 – Johns Hopkins, TBA

Tues., March 19 – at Providence, TBA

Sat., March 23 – at Villanova, TBA

TBA – Canisius, TBA

 

April

Sat., April 6 – at Princeton, TBA

Wed., April 10 – Cornell, 6 p.m.

Sat., April 13 – Rutgers, 1 p.m.

Tues., April 16 – Hobart, 7 p.m.

Sat., April 20 – at Georgetown, 1 p.m.

Sat., April 27 – vs. Notre Dame (E. Rutherford, N.J.), 6:30 p.m.

 

May

Thurs., May 2 – BIG EAST Championship Semifinals (Villanova, Pa.), TBA

Sat., May 4 – BIG EAST Championship Final (Villanova, Pa.), TBA

 

Home games in bold