2009-10 Canisius Athletics By The Numbers... 2,196 Paid attendance for the basketball doubleheader Jan. 29 in the Koessler Athletic Center - a new building record.
751
365
Number of career wins for head softball coach Mike Rappl - more than any other softball coach in the MAAC.
Total number of sporting events for all 16 varsity sports teams during the 2009-10 academic year.
107 77
Number of student-athletes honored for their work in the classroom by their respective conferences.
Former and current student-athletes that received their undergraduate degrees from the College in May 2010.
31 13
Total number of all-league honorees in 2009-10.
Wins by the women’s soccer team - a new school record. Also the number of MAAC regular season crowns won by softball - the most of any team at Canisius.
7
2
Straight semesters the athletic department’s cumulative GPA has been over 3.0.
Student-athletes named Player of the Year in their league (Hockey’s Cory Conacher and women’s lacrosse goalie Allison Daley - MAAC Defensive Player of the Year)
From the Director What’s next? We are always focused on what is to be done next, who is in the next recruiting class, who is our next opponent? As important as this focus it, there is great value in looking back and reflecting on what has been accomplished. The tradition of our athletic program is built on our history, or more specifically the efforts of our Golden Griffin student-athletes to mark their place in the history of Canisius College. Before we turn our attention to the excitement that awaits us in the 2010-11 academic year, it is important to reflect and highlight the many outstanding Bill Maher achievements and moments that made up the Director of Athletics 2009-10 year that was just completed. As you will see through the pages of our annual report, the past year was another wonderful chapter in the history of our storied athletic program. From the record-setting performances of our women’s soccer and cross country programs in the fall through the championship seasons for our softball and baseball programs, the Golden Griffin student-athletes continue to represent the College with distinction and make all of us associated with the program proud. While there is no doubt that some of our student-athletes completed what are sure to be Hall of Fame careers in 2009-10, it is the contributions from the collective group that have ensured that our rich tradition has yet another compelling chapter. This Annual Report captures the highlights from this past academic year. Enjoy the review and I will look forward to seeing you in the coming year. Go Griffs!
The 2009-10 Canisius College Athletic Department Annual Report is a production of the Canisius College Athletic Communications staff. Special thanks to those who assisted in the research and development of this look back at the 2009-10 academic year. Photo Credits: Tom Wolf Imaging, Dave Schofield, Stockton Photo, Inc.
Congratulations Graduates At the College’s annual commencement ceremonies May 22, a total of 77 former and current studentathletes received their undergraduate degrees. Canisius athletics prides itself on working hard in the classroom as well as in the sporting arena, with the athletic department grade point average being over a cumulative 3.0 for seven consecutive semesters. Below is an alphabetical listing of the Class of 2010.
Name
Sport
Vincent Amigone Hockey Carl Anderson Men’s Swimming/Diving Matt Barkas Men’s Lacrosse Michael Benzinger Men’s Lacrosse Andrea Betts Women’s Swimming/Diving Alyson Brown Women’s Lacrosse Marissa Brown Women’s Lacrosse Matthew Butters Men’s Cross Country Alex Caldiero Men’s Lacrosse Nicole Cardinale Synchronized Swimming Ian Choy Baseball Courtney Christman Synchronized Swimming Dave Cianfrini Hockey Julius Coles Men’s Basketball Chris Cox Baseball Drew Creighton Golf Ashley Curtis Women’s Lacrosse Shane Davis Baseball Shawn DeJulio Men’s Swimming/Diving Mike Deuschle Baseball Kathleen DiPasquale Women’s Soccer/Women’s Lacrosse Ellen Duane Women’s Cross Country Kevin Ernst Men’s Swimming/Diving Chris Forsman Hockey Michelle Fridey Softball Samantha Garnet Women’s Cross Country Kaela Glenn Volleyball Mike Globits Men’s Soccer Michelle Godfrey Volleyball Mike Goemans Baseball Victor Gonzalez Men’s Soccer Josh Heidinger Hockey Carl Hudson Hockey Lesley Ivinac Women’s Soccer Rishawn Johnson Men’s Basketball Meagan Jones Women’s Soccer Sylvia Kowalski Women’s Soccer Tasia Lee Women’s Basketball Peter Leoni Men’s Soccer Andrew Loewen Hockey Greg Logins Men’s Basketball Pablo Lopez Men’s Soccer Brianna Lucas Women’s Basketball Pete MacDougall Hockey Victoria Mazur Synchronized Swimming Alan McGreal Men’s Soccer Christopher Mekelburg Men’s Cross Country John Minieri Men’s Lacrosse John Morphis Men’s Swimming/Diving
Members of the Class of 2010 - former women’s lacrosse players Marissa Brown, Brett Poissant, Ashley Curtis and Alison Rusak.
Name
Jessica Nowak Garrett O’Neill Paul Panik Precious Peoples Daniella Pettinari Brett Poissant Ellie Radke Nilda Rosado Alison Rusak Alison Saladin Yulia Shepeleva Perry Silverman Randall Snodgrass II Matt Sprauge Blair Sprouse Adam Studniarek Natalia Tarasova Meagan Tremblay Frank Turner Andrew Van’t Wout Sean Vella Jason Weeks Kyle Westerholt Shayne Willson
Sport
Women’s Cross Country Men’s Lacrosse Baseball Women’s Cross Country Women’s Soccer Women’s Lacrosse Women’s Basketball Synchronized Swimming Women’s Lacrosse Women’s Swimming/Diving Synchronized Swimming Baseball Men’s Swimming/Diving Men’s Soccer Women’s Soccer Men’s Soccer Synchronized Swimming Synchronized Swimming Men’s Basketball Baseball Men’s Soccer Hockey Men’s Soccer Basebal
Honors and Awards Baseball
Mike McRae // Head Coach - 6th Season • MAAC Coach of the Year Brian Burton // Jr., 1B • All-MAAC Second Team • MAAC All-Tournament Team Ian Choy // Sr., DH • Preseason All-MAAC Team • Lowe’s Senior CLASS Candidate • CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team • CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America First Team • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team • ECAC Division I All-Star • ABCA/Rawlings Northeast Region First Team • School’s all-time career hits leader with 256. Shane Davis // R-Jr., P • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team Jarred Flock // Fr., OF • MAAC Rookie of the Week (Feb. 22)
Josh Marshall // Jr., P • CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District I First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team
Mike Goemans // Sr., P • MAAC Pitcher of the Week (May 10) • Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week (May 10) •C ollege Baseball Insider.com Northeast Regional Player of the Week (May 12) • MAAC All-Academic Team
Steve McQuail // Jr., INF • MAAC Player of the Week (April 11) • NCBWA National Hitter of the Week (April 11) •C ollege Baseball Insider.com Northeast Regional Player of the Week (April 13) • MAAC Player of the Week (May 10) • All-MAAC Second Team • ABCA/Rawlings Third-Team All-American • ABCA/Rawlings Northeast Region First Team • 30th Round Draft Choice by the Toronto Blue Jays
Billy Martin // R-Fr., P • MAAC Rookie of the Week (March 2)
Paul Panik // Sr., C • MAAC All-Academic Team
Sean Jamieson // Jr., SS • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Tournament Team
Perry Silverman // Sr., OF • MAAC Player of the Week (Feb. 22) •C ollege Baseball Insider.com Northeast Region Player of the Week (Feb. 24) • All-MAAC Second Team • MAAC All-Academic Team • CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team Jon VanRemmen // So., INF • MAAC All-Academic Team Shayne Willson // Jr., P • Preseason All-MAAC Team • MAAC Player of the Week (April 25) • All-MAAC Second Team • MAAC All-Tournament Team
Honors and Awards Men’s Basketball Bob Bevilacqua // Sr., G • MAAC All-Academic
Julius Coles // Jr., G • MAAC Player of the Week (Nov. 30) Elton Frasier // Jr., F • ESPN “SportsCenter” Top Play for Jan. 29 & 30. Greg Logins // Jr., F • Preseason All-MAAC Third Team Frank Turner // Sr., G • Preseason All-MAAC Third Team • All-MAAC Third Team • MAAC All-Academic Team • NABC Division I All-District I Second Team • I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team • S chool’s all-time leader in assists (616)
Women’s Basketball Micayla Drysdale // Jr., G • Preseason All-MAAC Third Team • MAAC All-Academic Team
Ashley Durham // Fr., G • MAAC Rookie of the Week (Nov. 23)
Tauralee Tenn // Sr., G • MAAC All-Academic Team
Men’s Cross Country Matthew Butters // Jr. • MAAC All-Academic Team
Stephanie MacDonald // So., G • MAAC All-Academic Team
Vasilis Kariolis // Sr. • Winner of the Little Three Championship • MAAC Male Runner of the Week (Oct. 12)
Ellie Radke // Sr., F • Preseason All-MAAC Second Team • MAAC All-Academic Team
Mark Kearney // So. • MAAC All-Academic Team
Brittané Russell // Sr., G • Preseason All-MAAC First Team • MAAC Player of the Week (Nov. 30) • All-MAAC Second Team
Jonathan McDonald // So. • MAAC All-Academic Team Chris Mekelburg // Sr. • MAAC All-Academic Team
Women’s Cross Country Julie Dahlkemper // So. • MAAC All-Academic Team Ellen Duane // Sr. • MAAC All-Academic Team Molly Evans // Jr. • MAAC All-Academic Team Maura Frauenhofer // Jr. • Winner of the Duquesne Duals • MAAC Female Runner of the Week (Sept. 8) • National Catholic Championship Top-10 Finisher • Winner of the Monmouth Invitational
Honors and Awards • MAAC Female Runner of the Week (Oct. 12) • MAAC All-Academic Team Samantha Garnet // Sr. • MAAC All-Academic Team Christine Mulvihill // So. • Winner of the Little Three Championships • MAAC Female Runner of the Week (Sept. 28) Jessica Nowak // Sr. • MAAC All-Academic Team Jill Shea // So. • MAAC All-Academic Team
Cory Conacher // Jr., F • Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week (Oct. 18) • Atlantic Hockey Player of the Month (November) •A tlantic Hockey Player of the Week (Jan. 18) • All-Atlantic Hockey First Team • Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year • Canisius Male Athlete of the Year Josh Heidinger // Sr., F • Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week (Feb. 22) • Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week (March 15) Carl Hudson // Sr., D • All-Atlantic Hockey Second Team • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Scott Jenks // Jr., D • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Pat Kenney // Sr., F • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Ryan Klusendorf // Sr., F • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Torrey Lindsay // Fr., F • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Andrew Loewen // Sr., G • Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week (Nov. 23) • Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week (Feb. 8) • Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Nominee • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Peter MacDougall // Sr., F • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team
Golf
Drew Creighton // Sr. • MAAC All-Academic Team Michael Knott // Jr. • MAAC All-Academic Team Scott Moser // So. • MAAC All-Academic Team Stephen Seeler // So. • Little Three Individual Champion • MAAC All-Academic Team
Hockey
Taylor Anderson // Jr., G • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Dave Cianfrini // Sr., D • Atlantic Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team
Dan Morrison // So., G • Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week (Oct. 12) • Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week (Oct. 12) • Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week (Nov. 23) Scott Moser // So., F • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Ben Parker // Fr., F • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Phil Rauch // Jr., D • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team Eric Rex // Jr., F • Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team
Honors and Awards Men’s Lacrosse
Mike Allaire // So., M • MAAC All-Academic Team Matt Barkas // Sr., D • Preseason All-MAAC Team • All-MAAC Second Team • MAAC All-Academic Team Kyle Bell // So., GK • MAAC All-Academic Team Travis Gibbons // So., A • MAAC All-Academic Team Joe Greenwald // So., M • MAAC All-Academic Team Adam Jones // Jr., M • Preseason MAAC Player of the Year • Named to the Tewaarton Trophy Watch List • Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American • MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (April 19) • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team Nick LoCoco // Jr., A • MAAC All-Academic Team James McCready // Sr., M • MAAC All-Academic Team John Minieri // Sr., A • MAAC All-Academic
Women’s Lacrosse Kaitlyn Black // Jr., M • MAAC All-Academic Team • IWLCA Academic Squad Rachel Brand // So., M • MAAC All-Academic Team Marissa Brown // Sr., M • MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (Feb. 22) • MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (March 22) • All-MAAC Second Team • MAAC All-Academic Team • IWLCA Academic Squad Ashley Curtis // Sr., A • MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Feb. 8) • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team Allison Daley // Jr., GK • Preseason All-MAAC Team • MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (April 19) • MAAC Defensive Player of the Year • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team Kathleen DiPaquale // Sr., D • MAAC All-Academic Team Jackie Loson // Jr., M • All-MAAC Second Team • MAAC All-Academic Team • IWLCA Academic Squad Gina Molfetta // Fr., GK • MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (March 29)
Honors and Awards Megan Oosting // So., M • MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (April 12) • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team Brett Poissant // Sr., M • Preseason All-MAAC Team • All-MAAC First Team Carly Quinn // Jr., A • MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (March 29) • MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (April 26) • MAAC All-Academic Team • IWLCA Academic Squad Alison Rusak // Sr., D • Preseason All-MAAC Team • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team • IWLCA Academic Squad
Sam Margetts // Fr., F • MAAC Rookie of the Week (Nov. 2) Alan McGreal // Sr., F • Preseason All-MAAC Team • MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 2) • All-MAAC First Team • NSCAA All-North Atlantic Third Team • School’s career leader in points (99) and goals (35) Matt Sprague // Sr., F • MAAC All-Academic Team Adam Studniarek // Sr., B • MAAC All-Academic Team Kyle Westerholt // Sr., B • MAAC All-Academic Team
Women’s Soccer
Brooke Bandazian // Fr., F • MAAC Rookie of the Week (Oct. 26) • All-MAAC Second Team Camille Blum // Jr., B • MAAC All-Academic Team Allison Diaz // So., F • MAAC All-Academic Team Kathleen DiPaquale // Sr., B • All-MAAC Second Team • MAAC All-Academic Team Laura Ellis // Jr., B • MAAC All-Academic Team Christina Franceschi // So., B • MAAC All-Academic Team Dina Gabrielli // So., B • MAAC All-Academic Team Jenny Griffin // So., F • All-MAAC Second Team Christina Gullo // So., F • MAAC All-Academic Team
Men’s Soccer
Mike Globits // Sr., B • MAAC All-Academic Team Peter Leoni // Sr., M • MAAC All-Academic Team
Meagan Jones // Sr., M • MAAC All-Academic Team Sylvia Kowalski // Sr., F • MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 8) • MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 14) • MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 5) • MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 26) • All-MAAC First Team
Honors and Awards Kasey Makowski // Jr., M • Preseason All-MAAC Team Daniella Pettinari// Sr., GK • MAAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 19) • MAAC All-Academic Team • NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee Kelly Reinwald // So., F • Preseason All-MAAC Team • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team Caroline Robert // So., GK • MAAC Defensive Player of the Year (Sept. 8) • MAAC All-Academic Team
Paige Freiberger // Jr., 3B • MAAC Player of the Week (March 9) • All-MAAC First Team Michelle Fridey // Sr., C • Preseason All-MAAC Team • MAAC Player of the Week (March 2) • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team • MAAC All-Tournament Team • ECAC Division I Softball First Team All-Star • CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District I First Team • CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American Third Team Lizzy Gatto // So., OF • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team Emily Helbig // Jr., 1B • All-MAAC Second Team • MAAC All-Tournament Team Lauren Hope // Jr., OF • Preseason All-MAAC Team • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Academic Team • MAAC All-Tournament Team Katie Lancellotti // So., SS • MAAC All-Academic Team Caroline Main // So., P • MAAC Pitcher of the Week (May 3) • All-MAAC First Team • MAAC All-Tournament Team
Softball
Mike Rappl // Head Coach - 31st Season • Canisius Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Amanda Baun // Fr., P • MAAC Pitcher of the Week (March 2) • MAAC Pitcher of the Week (March 9) • MAAC Rookie of the Week (April 12) • All-MAAC Second Team Lauryn Chris // So., OF • MAAC All-Academic Team Lauren Falzone // So., OF • MAAC All-Academic Team
Honors and Awards Kerry Ulmer // Jr., 1B • MAAC All-Academic Team
Synchronized Swimming
Natalia Tarasova // Sr. • U.S. Collegiate National Champion - Solo event • Honorary Collegiate All-American Yulia Shepeleva // Sr. • U.S. Collegiate National Champion - “A” Elements • Honorary Collegiate All-American Jessica Grogan // So. • Mary Jo Ruggieri Scholarship Award winner
Men’s Swimming/Diving Carl Anderson // Sr. • MAAC All-Academic Team John Kennon // Jr. • MAAC All-Academic Team John Morphis // Sr. • MAAC All-Academic Team
Women’s Swimming/Diving Amina Benman // So. • MAAC All-Academic Team Andrea Betts // Sr. • MAAC All-Academic Team Courtney Marcolini // Jr. • MAAC All-Academic Team
Volleyball
Danielle Brawn // So., OH • MAAC All-Academic Team Jasmine Brennan // Jr., MH • MAAC All-Academic Team Kaela Glenn // Sr., L • MAAC All-Academic Team Michelle Godfrey // Sr., MH/RS • Golden Grizzly Invitational All-Tournament Team • Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team Samantha Good // Fr., MH/RS • MAAC Rookie of the Week (Sept. 28) • MAAC Rookie of the Week (Oct. 12) • MAAC Rookie of the Week (Oct. 19) • All-MAAC Second Team Renne Lettow // Jr., OH • MAAC All-Academic Team Allyson Severyn // Fr., L • MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 31) • MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 28) • La Salle Invitational All-Tournament Team Carly Youngman // Jr., DS • MAAC All-Academic Team
Baseball Head Coach Mike McRae
Assistant Coaches Ryan Asis Matt Mazurek
39-21 overall 19-5 MAAC MAAC Regular Season Champions
Men’s
Basketball Head Coach Tom Parrotta
Assoc. Head Coach Rob Norris
Assistant Coach Desmond Oliver Tim Paul
15-17 overall 8-10 MAAC
Baseball Highlights
•C anisius won its second MAAC regularseason title in three years and third in program history. •C anisius advanced to the championship series of the MAAC Championship for the second consecutive season. •C anisius posted a 39-21 record and now has 116 wins during the last three seasons – the most by any team in the Northeast and Midwest and 19 more than any other team in the MAAC. •C anisius had 35 or more wins for the third consecutive season. The Griffs are the only team in the Northeast and one of 23 teams in the country to win 35 or more games in the past three years. • J unior Steve McQuail was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 30th round of the MLB Draft. McQuail is the fifth Golden Griffin to be drafted in the last three years and first junior to be drafted since 1994.
• McQuail set program records with 89 hits, 21 doubles, 81 RBI and a .768 slugging percentage and ranked in the top 15 nationally with the 81 RBI. • Senior Ian Choy was named an ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-American (one of 11 Division I baseball players to receive the honor). Choy is the first Canisius baseball player to be honored since 1997 and first MAAC baseball player to be honored since 2004. • Seven MAAC players earned all-MAAC honors for the third consecutive season. Coach Mike McRae was named MAAC Coach of the Year for the second time in three years and for the third time in his career. • Three Golden Griffins were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I First Team – Ian Choy, Perry Silverman and Josh Marshall. Canisius was one of two teams in the country to have three first-team selections.
Men’s Basketball Highlights
• The Golden Griffins’ 15 wins in 2009-10 are the most for the program since 200001. •C anisius’ eight MAAC wins are two more than the two previous seasons combined, and were the most for the Blue and Gold since 2004-05. • The Griffs posted a winning record at home for the first time since 2004-05. • The win over Marist in the first round of the MAAC Tournament gives Canisius a postseason win in six-straight years - the longest active streak of that kind in the league. • The Griffs became the first school to beat Southern Miss in its annual pre-Christmas tournament when the Blue and Gold defeated the Golden Eagles 59-56 Dec. 22. •C anisius ended its five-game losing streak to Buffalo with a 73-71 come-frombehind win at Alumni Arena.
•F rank Turner closed out his career as the school’s all-time leader in career assists (616), games played (125) and career minutes played (4,567), while ranking fourth in career scoring (1,769). •T omas Vazquez-Simmons became the school’s all-time leading shot blocker midway through his junior season and will enter his senior with with 211 career blocks, which ranks sixth in MAAC history. • Turner, Vazquez-Simmons and Greg Logins became the 24th, 25th and 26th players in school history to join the 500-rebound club. • Turner was able to earn his undergraduate and master’s degree in four years at Canisius. • A total of six student-athletes earned their undergraduate degrees in threeplus years at Canisius and they will start their final season in Blue and Gold in pursuit of their master’s degree.
Women’s
Basketball Head Coach Terry Zeh
Assoc. Head Coach Beth O’Boyle
Assistant Coaches Tara Fleming Jen Gwin
12-19 overall 6-12 MAAC
Cross Country Head Coach Peter Osmond
Assistant Coach Aileen Hoak
W - 3rd at MAAC M - 7th at MAAC
Women’s Basketball Highlights • Senior Brittané Russell became the first player in MAAC history – and fifth player in NCAA Division I during the past 20 years – to have 1,200 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 300 steals in her career. • Canisius extended its NCAA record of consecutive games with a made 3-pointer to 485 games. • Four players were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team — Ellie Radke, Micayla Drysdale, Tauralee Tenn and Stephanie MacDonald. • Canisius won a postseason game for the third consecutive season and seventh time in the last eight seasons. • Canisius is 63-45 in MAAC games since the 2004-05 season – the third-best record in the MAAC during that timeframe.
• Junior Micayla Drysdale is the program’s all-time leader in 3-point field goal percentage at 39 percent during her first three seasons. • Canisius finished 51st in the country in fewest points allowed per game and 35th in 3-point field goals made per game. • Senior Tasia Lee averaged 6.2 points per game during the 2009-10 season after averaging 1.7 points in her previous three years. • Senior Ellie Radke averaged career highs in points (11.5), rebounds (6.3), assists (49), blocks (11), steals (29) and games started (29). • Entering the 2009-10 season, two Canisius players had made more than 10 starts in their career. Eleven different players started a game last season.
Cross Country Highlights
• The Canisius College women’s cross country team closed out the 2009 season by placing third overall at the MAAC Championships - the program’s best finish since 1997. • J unior Maura Frauenhofer placed fourth and sophomore Christine Mulvhill finished fifth at the MAAC Championships, the first time Canisius had two women runners place among the top-10 in 12 years. • The men’s and women’s teams combined to secure the school’s fourth-straight Little Three Championship. • The women’s team fnished in the top-five overall at five different races last fall, highlighted by the team’s second-place finish at the National Catholic Championships in South Bend, Ind. and the program’s team title at the Monmouth Invitational in Long Branch, N.J.
• At the National Catholic race, Frauenhofer placed 10th in the field of 260 runners, the best finish for a Canisius runner at the event since 1991. • Combined, Canisius earned four MAAC Runner of the Week honors in 2009 after collecting a total of two in the three prevous years of the award. • Senior Vasilis Kariolis won the individual crown at the 2009 Little Three race as the Canisius men’s team took the top-five spots in the race. • Kariolis posted a personal-best time of 25:40 at the National Catholic Championships and placed 11th overall individually while the Blue and Gold placed ninth as a team, the program’s best finish at the event since 2002. • A total of 11 student-athletes from the men’s and women’s cross country programs were named MAAC All-Academic.
Golf Head Coach Todd Hummel
Fifth Place 2010 MAAC Championships
Hockey Head Coach Dave Smith
Assistant Coach B.J Adams
17-15-5 overall 13-11-4 AHA
Golf Highlights • The Canisius golf team wrapped up the 2009-10 year with a fifth-place finish at the MAAC Championship in Orlando, Fla.
• The Blue and Gold also took second place at the Bucknell Fall Invitational Sept. 1819.
• This marked the second-straight year the Golden Griffins placed fifth in the MAAC, which ties for the program’s best finish at the conference’s championship tournament since 2005.
• Junior Michael Knott and Seeler each fired a first-round 68 at the Bucknell event, their first collegiate round in the 60s.
• The Griffs took part in the most challenging schedule in program history last year, facing the likes of Missouri, Kentucky and Indiana. •C anisius placed second at the annual Little Three event, one stroke behind rival St. Bonaventure. • J unior Stephen Seeler finished in a threeway tie for first to earn a share of the individual honors at the Little Three and four Griffs placed among the top-10 in the field.
• Newcomer Mike Spiotta was the top individual finisher for the Griffs in six different tournaments. • Senior Drew Creighton finished his career as a Griff with 24 top-20 finishes in 34 career events, highlighted by five topfive postings. • Every Canisius golfer that was eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team qualified in 2009-10, with Creighton earning all-academic honors for the third-straight year.
Hockey Highlights
•C anisius went 17-15-5 during the 200910 season, its most wins since the 200001 season. • The Griffs swept a two-game series against rival Mercyhurst in the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2004. •Six seniors signed professional contracts following the 2009-10 campaign. Carl Hudson joined the Rochester Americans of the AHL, Dave Cianfrini, Josh Heidinger, Peter MacDougall and Jason Weeks signed ECHL contracts and Andrew Loewen will continue his career in the CHL. • The Griffs graduated a highly-successful senior class, who set 26 school records during their careers. Heidinger owns the program record with 132 points and 95 assists, while Weeks graduates with a school-best 50 goals. • J unior Cory Conacher became the first Griff to garner Atlantic Hockey Player of
the Year accolades. Conacher set school records with 53 points and 33 assists and ranked second nationally with 1.51 points per game. The junior was also the only player in the country to rank in the top 30 nationally in both goals and assists per game. • Hudson and junior Vincent Scarsella also earned All-Atlantic Hockey accolades, marking the first time in the program’s history that Canisius had three all-conference honorees. • Cianfrini highlighted 15 Atlantic Hockey All-Academic selections. Cianfrini posted the highest GPA in the league and was named the 2009-10 Atlantic Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year. • During the season, Canisius received its first vote in the national poll. Following a split against CCHA foe Ferris State, Canisius earned a vote in the USCHO.com/ CBS College Sports Division I poll for the first time in program history.
Men’s
Lacrosse Head Coach Randy Mearns
Assistant Coaches Greg Campbell Jason Levesque
6-7 overall 5-3 MAAC
Women’s
Lacrosse Head Coach Scott Teeter
Assistant Coach Ashley Wood
10-8 overall 5-1 MAAC
Men’s Lacrosse Highlights • The men’s lacrosse team improved its conference standing to third place in 2010 after a seventh-place finish in 2009. • The 2010 season highlight for Canisius was an 8-7 overtime victory over instate rival Hobart. The win marked the first victory for the Griffs in 11 all-time meetings with the Statesmen. • J unior Adam Jones became the first Canisius player to be listed as a candidate for the Tewaaraton Award, the pre-eminent lacrosse award presented annually to the player of the year. • J ones once again led the Canisius offense in 2010, tallying a team-best 40 points, 25 goals and 15 assists. Jones became just the second player in the program’s history and the first since Canisius Hall of Famer Cort Knodel (1994-97) to lead the team in goals in three-straight seasons. • J ones earned first-team All-MAAC honors for the third-straight season, while defender Matt Barkas was named to the All-MAAC Second Team for the second-
straight campaign. • Four former and current Griffs played for Team Canada, the defending world champions, at the 2010 Men’s Lacrosse World Championship. Jones, Angus Dineley ’07, Kevin Ross ’07 and Matt Vinc ’05 will all represent Canada in Manchester, England. • Canisius head coach Randy Mearns served as an assistant coach with Canada for the second-straight World Championship. • Mearns earned induction into Rochester Knightshawks Hall of Fame. A member of the first recruiting class at Canisius, Mearns played seven seasons with Rochester and nine total seasons in the National Lacrosse League. • In Sept. 2009 graduate Matt Friedman was selected in the sixth round of the NLL Draft by the Buffalo Bandits, marking the third-straight season that a Griff was selected.
Women’s Lacrosse Highlights
• The women’s lacrosse team compiled a 10-8 record during the 2010 season, the second-most wins in the program’s history. • The Griffs also went 5-1 during league play, matching the best finish in the program’s history. •C anisius earned its third-consecutive trip to the MAAC Tournament for the first time in school history. • J unior goalie Allison Daley was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Daley finished the season fifth nationally with 10.5 saves per game and 10th with a .501 save percentage. •D aley was one of seven Griffs to earn all-conference honors, matching the program’s record. In addition, a schoolrecord five Griffs were named to the AllMAAC First Team.
• Daley also anchored a strong Canisius defensive unit during the 2010 campaign. Four Griffs earned a total of five MAAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades, matching the rest of the conference teams combined. • Canisius head coach Scott Teeter was named the coach of the Canadian Under-19 National Team. Teeter will lead the team at the FIL World U19 Championship in Hanover, Germany during the summer of 2011. • The team was named an IWLCA Academic Squad for maintaining a GPA of 3.0, while five Griffs were named to the Academic Honor Roll for owning a GPA of at least 3.5.
Men’s
Soccer Head Coach Jim Hesch
Assistant Coach Adam Reekie
5-12-2 overall 4-5-0 MAAC
Women’s
Soccer
Head Coach Jim Wendling
Assistant Coach Nikki Gabrielli
13-4-3 overall 4-3-2 MAAC
Men’s Soccer Highlights • The Class of 2009 finished their careers with 26 wins, becoming the winningest class in the program’s history. It marks the third-straight season that the men’s soccer senior class graduated with the most wins in school history. • S enior Alan McGreal was named to the All-MAAC First Team, becoming the first players in the program’s history to earn all-conference accolades in each of his four seasons. •M cGreal capped his successful career in 2009 and in the process, rewrote the program’s record book. McGreal recorded 99 career points, 24 more than the next highest player in school history. He also set program marks with 35 career goals and 29 career assists. •M cGreal tied for the MAAC lead this season with 10 goals and finished second with 24 points.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Adam Miller also topped the MAAC rankings. For the second-straight season Miller led the conference with 5.40 saves per game in league games. • International players led the 2009 Canisius squad. The Griffs featured nine international players from seven countries, accounting for 78.3 percent of the team’s goals (18-23) and 93.3 percent of the team’s assists (14-15). • Seven different players scored their first collegiate goals for a young Canisius team in 2009, the most since eight netted their first career tally in 2005. • The Griffs went 4-3-1 at home during the 2009 season, marking the sixth time in the last eight years that Canisius has had at least a .500 record at home.
Women’s Soccer Highlights
• The Golden Griffins posted a school-record 13 wins in 2009, highlighted by the best start (7-0-1) through the team’s first eight games. •C anisius advanced to the semifinal round of the 2009 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championships, the first time the program history where the team has played in the conference semifinals in back-toback years. • The Griffs’ seven road wins are the most in school history for a single-season. • F orward Sylvia Kowalski became the first player in program history to be honored as the College’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year. •K owalski finished her senior season in Blue and Gold with 39 points on 14 goals and 11 assists, with seven of those goals serving as game-winning tallies.
• Kowalski’s 11 assists set a new Canisius single-season record, and she ended the year ranked 12th in the nation in points per game, 17th in assists per game and 19th in goals scored per game. • Classmate Kathleen DiPasquale was honored to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-North Atlantic Third Team • Goalkeeper Daniella Pettinari was Canisius’ nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. • Pettinari, Meagan Jones and Laura Ellis were honored as honorable mentions on the NSCAA Scholar All-East Region Team. • A total of five Griffs were named to the All-MAAC first and second teams.
Softball Head Coach Mike Rappl
Assistant Coaches Kim Griffin Pete Scott
34-19 overall 13-3 MAAC MAAC Regular Season Champions
Synchronized
Swimming
Head Coach Jill Wright
Assistant Coaches Lindsey Koch Lisa Menchetti
3rd in the Nation 13-Time ECAC Champs
Softball Highlights • The Golden Griffins finished the season with 34 wins, the program’s ninth 30-win season since 1980. •C anisius claimed a share of the MAAC regular season championship after going 13-3 in league play. The Blue and Gold is 36-4 against MAAC regular season play at home since 2006. • The Griffs hosted the MAAC Softball Championships in Buffalo for the first time since 2002. •C anisius advanced to the MAAC Softball Championship round for the 17th time in the last 21 years. •A total of seven Griffs were named to the All-MAAC all-star units, with five of those players earning first team honors. • S enior Michelle Fridey was named to the 2010 ECAC Division I First Team All-Star unit after earning All-MAAC First Team accollades.
• Fridey, who earned MAAC All-Tournament honors for the third-straight year, hit .395 with 64 hits, 18 doubles, four triples, five homers, 52 RBI and 47 runs scored. Her 52 RBI set a new single-season RBI mark for the program, breaking the old record which stood since 1985. • Fridey was also named to the CoSIDA/ ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Third Team after her senior year. • Junior Paige Freiberger set a new school record for home runs in a single season with 11 long balls. Prior to the 2010 year, Freiberger had no collegiate career homers. • Sophomore pitcher Caroline Main and freshman Amanda Baun combined to strikeout 326 opposing batters and ended the year with 10 shutouts. • Head coach Mike Rappl became the first active coach to be inducted into the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame in February.
Synchro Highlights
• The Golden Griffins tied for third at the U.S. Collegiate Nationals for the secondstraight year, finishing just behind Ohio State and Stanford. • The synchronized swimming team secured its 13th consecutive ECAC Championship after the team scored 101 total points in the event, which was hosted by the Univeristy of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. • S enior Natalia Tarasova closed out her final season as a Griff by winning the solo competition at the U.S. Collegiate National championships, the second-straight year she earned the solo national championship. • F ellow senior Yulia Shepeleva earned a national championship in “A” Elements and also placed third overall in the solo event at the U.S. Colliegate Nationals. •A t the ECAC Championships in February, Tarasova and Shepeleva took first and
second place in the solo event, where sophomore teammate Jessica Grogan posted a third-place finish. • Freshman Missy Andrews and senior Victoria Mazur placed second behind the team of Tarasova and Shepeleva in the duet event at the ECAC Championships. The Griffs also earned second and thirdplace, respectively in the trio competition that weekend as well. • For the fifth consecutive year, the Griffs won their only home meet of the season by securing the top-spot in the Canisius Invitational. • Tarasova and Shepeleva were named honorary All-Americans for 2009-10, while Grogan was awarded the Mary Jo Ruggieri Scholarship for her work in the community. • Former head coach Joanne Wright was named the Collegiate Contributor of the Year by USA Synchro.
Swimming & Diving Head Coach Scott Vanderzell
Assistant Coaches Mike Szyprowski Andrew Goe
M - 7th at MAAC W - 8th at MAAC
Volleyball Head Coach Cathy Hummel
Assistant Coach Stephanie Jansma Randy Syracuse
11-18 overall 8-10 MAAC
Swimming/Diving Highlights • The Golden Griffins closed out the 2010 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships in Baltimore by setting a total of 20 school records through the three-day event. • The men’s program finished the conference’s championship event with a schoolrecord 268 points, which put the team in seventh place overall. • I n all, 51 lifetime bests were set out of the 72 swims that Canisius swimmers took part in at the MAAC Championships. • S ophomore Erica Vitale claimed four of the eight broken records for the women’s squad while fellow sophomore Stephen Pochatko had three of the 12 broken marks on the men’s side. • The men’s program wrapped up the dual meet portion of the 2009-10 slate with five wins, highlighted by a thrilling comefrom-behind win over Niagara at home.
• The women’s team was honored for their work in the classroom at the end of the 2009-10 season when the team was chosen as a College Swimming Coaches Asccociation of America (CSCAA) Scholar AllAmerican Team. • The women’s program was one of 51 college programs in the nation to receive this honor. • A total of 10 Canisius student-athletes were honored to the MAAC All-Academic Team, with seven of those honorees being on the Canisius women’s roster. • In May, the MAAC announced that Canisius will co-host the 2011 MAAC Swimming adn Diving Championships at the Flickinger Center in downtown Buffalo. Buffalo will be just the third city to host the conference’s premier swimming and diving event since 1997.
Volleyball Highlights
• F reshman Samantha Good earned AllMAAC Second-Team honors making her the first Canisius freshman to be named to an all-MAAC team in volleyball in the last 10 seasons. •G ood averaged a team-best 3.30 kills per set against MAAC teams – the most by any freshman in the conference. •C anisius has a 44-28 record in the MAAC during the past four seasons, the thirdbest record in the league over that time span. • F ive Golden Griffins were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team. •C anisius received an NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program public recognition award. The public recognition awards are presented to the best academically performing teams that rank in the top 10 percent within their sport in the NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR).
• The Golden Griffins are the only MAAC volleyball team to receive the honor in 2009-10 and the only MAAC volleyball program to receive the award three times in the last four years. Canisius also received the award in 2006-07 and 2007-08. • Junior Renee Lettow had 10 doubledoubles (at least 10 digs and 10 kills) in 10 matches on the season — the secondmost by a Golden Griffin since the 2005 season. • Sophomore Janelle Davis was the first Golden Griffin to have 900 or more assists in each of her freshman and sophomore seasons. • Freshman Allyson Severyn had 554 digs on the season – the most-ever by a Canisius freshman. Severyn also finished 22nd in the country by averaging 5.18 digs per set.
Student-Athlete Programs Each academic year, the Canisius athletic department prides itself on serving the community, following the Jesuit values set forth by the College’s leadership. Whether its reading to local elementary school children or volunteering through the Office of Campus Ministry, Canisius’ student-athletes are learning valuable life lessons while making the Western New York area a better place. Below is just a small sampling of how Canisius’ student-athletes volunteered their free time.
Canisius Cares
StriKe Out Cancer
The 2009-10 academic year saw the start of the “Canisius Cares” program. In its first year, the “Canisius Cares” program is a partnership between the Canisius athletic department and schools throughout Western New York, geared toward providing school visits and game tickets to students from all grade levels that are being recognized for their admirable behavior, their strides in the direction of academic success and their personal commitment toward making responsible choices. Canisius student-athletes from a number of sports programs traveled to elementary schools to discuss such topics as dealing with bullies, proper rest and nutrition and the importance of working hard, both in the classroom and in athletic endeavors. The program was started by the Canisius marketing department and all visits were made with the Canisius mascot, Petey.
The Canisius softball and baseball teams joined forces with Roswell Park’s Yroswell initiative in an effort to “StriKe Out Cancer” during two home last May at the Demske Sports Complex. The Yroswell program is dedicated to people between the ages of 12 and 26 years old and is affiliated with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. The Yroswell group provides resources for cancer and coping, education and studies, as well as future careers in medicine and science. On both days, the Canisius teams wore special pink hats, donated by New Era Cap Company, the official hat provider of Canisius athletics, and a number of pink hats were sold to fans, with all proceeds going directly to the Yroswell group. The Canisius softball and baseball teams helped raise close to $3,500 for the Yroswell group.
Other Great Projects In addition to the “Canisius Cares” program, and the baseball and softball teams working with Yroswell, the athletic department takes part in a number of fund-raising efforts throughout the year, including the lacrosse programs’ work with the “Headstrong Foundation”, women’s basketball supporting breast cancer awareness through the national “Pink Zone” program or the men’s basketball team taking part in the Coaches vs. Cancer initiate. Canisius student-athletes are also very active in the Hamlin Park area of Buffalo, helping clean up the neighborhood around campus while interacting with those who share the surroundings with the College.
Frank Turner (right) speaks at Gilmore Elementary School in North Tonawanda, N.Y.
The Golden Griffin What is a Griffin? The Griffin is a mythical creature of supposed gigantic size that has the head, forelegs and wings of an eagle and the hindquarters, tail and ears of a lion. They are well known for their speed, ability to fly and having eyes like an eagle as well as the strength and courage of a lion. Griffins have been known for centuries as symbols of strength and vigilance, have been called “The Hounds of Zeus” in Greek mythology and are said to have mastery of both the land and sky. They are thought to be from India, where the natives of the land made their talons and claws into drinking cups because the talon of a Griffin was said to detect poison in a liquid. Griffins would find gold in the mountains and line their nests with it and as a result, were forced to become great guardians of the nests to keep the hunters away. According to Charles A. Brady in Canisius College The First Hundred Years, “Though the problems of when and where the Griffin began his reign as King Herald of the Canisius College of Arms are not easily settled, the whence is simple to establish. Our Griffin flew to us from the prow of LaSalle’s lost Griffon, the Flying Dutchman of the Great Lakes, which disappeared after making a safe voyage from the Niagara River to the Strait of Detroit. LaSalle’s illfated caravel, the first ship ever built on America’s inland seas, with its 45 tons and five cannons, had its beakhead adorned ‘with a flying Griffin, and an eagle above it,’ in honor of the two heraldic beasts on the armorial bearing of the great Frontenac.” The Griffin became the symbol for Canisius athletics in the mid-1930s. Steve Weller wrote in The Buffalo News Jan. 22, 1962, “You can have your Chihuahuas, Piranhas, Horned Frogs and Iguanas. The best all-around athletic mascot in business today has to be the beast adopted by Canisius College – the Golden Griffin.”