Posted on Mar 26, 2001

Margaret Merriam (Fayetteville, Y/Fayetteville-Manlius) helped the women's lacrosse team to a 2-1 record during their spring trip to Panama City Beach, Florida, as she scored 10 goals and four assists. Merriam, a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter, came into her final season with 68 goals and 94 points (including last year's standard of 41 goals, 19 assists and 60 points)…Sophomore Ridgley Harrison (Hackettstown, NJ/Morristown High) earned honorable mention All-American honors when he finished 15th in the 50 freestyle at the NCAA Division III championships. Harrison, sophomore Steve Eberlein (Troy, MI/Brother Rice), freshman Adam Retersdorf (Mayfield, NY/Gloversville) and senior Nathaniel Martin (Kensington, CT/Avon) also earned honorable mention All-American honors by placing 11th and 16, respectively, in the 800 and 400 freestyle relay races…Junior guard Katie Smith (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem) added to her numerous honors this season when she was named to the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association All-Star, second team.

Posted on Mar 26, 2001

Community Service Projects have been a tradition among the teams at Union. Every year each one of the 25 intercollegiate athletic teams participates in some sort of community service project. This year the volleyball team, as well as several other student-athletes, took part in the annual “Read Across America” project which gives college students an opportunity to read to young elementary students.

“This is something my team participated in for the two years I was at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia,” said head coach Sandy Collins, who led the volleyball team to their first New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association postseason tournament berth since 1966.

“It is important for student-athletes to be role models and convey the message that reading is an important activity, something that you will use throughout your life.

“The youngsters look forward to spending time with the athletes,” Collins continued. “It makes them work harder and it lets them see the accomplishments of the college students. It gives them another adult in their lives who care about them and gives them some else who is telling them what they can accomplish if they work hard and do their best. Sometimes it is important to hear that from someone other than their parents and teachers.”<br

Collins, head field hockey coach Tracy Barclay, and the Union student-athletes traveled to the Slingerlands Elementary School in nearby Delmar to read with a kindergarten and a second grade class in March. A total of 11 student-athletes from the volleyball, softball, women's lacrosse, men's swim and women's swim teams participated.

Posted on Mar 26, 2001

The first week of the spring season resulted in four Union student-athletes earning ECAC Upstate New York as well as Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association “Player of the Week” honors.

The softball team, which went 5-2-1 during its week-long spring trip to Cape Coral, Florida, had senior third baseman Julie Cardettino (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) pick up “Player of the Week” honors while junior pitcher Sarah Johnston (Troy, NY/Troy) earned the league's “Pitcher of the Week” award.

Junior goaltender Pat Forrest (Topsfield, MA/Governor Dummer Academy) was named the league's “Goaltender of the Week” after leading the Dutchmen to a 2-0 record while they were in Newport Ritchie, Florida.

Senior outfielder/pitcher Jay Warzala (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) was voted the UCAA's “Hitter of the Week” after helping Union to a 5-4 record during their week-long stay in Cape Coral, Florida.

All four players were also named as the Upstate New York “Players of the Week” in their respective sports. Whereas the UCAA award encompasses student-athletes from the eight league members, the Upstate award embodies all the athletes from among the more than 35 Division III colleges in the Upstate region.

Cardettino, now in her fourth season as a starter, got off to a sizzling start as she collected 13 hits in 24 at bats (.542) with while driving in six runs and scoring six times. Cardettino, who came into the year with a career batting average of .324 with 39 rbis and 54 runs scored in 103 career games, had four multiple-hit games while in Florida, including two three-hit performances. Her best day at the plate came in an 8-0 victory over MIT when she belted
two singles and a double while driving in two runs and scoring twice.

Cardettino leads the league in hitting with her .542 average and is fifth in rbi (sophomore teammate Jill Ring (Brewester, MA/Nauset Regional) leads the UCAA with 11 RBI).

Johnston, meanwhile, is off to the best start in her career and leads the circuit with her 0.00 earned run average. Johnston, who has been the No. 3 pitcher behind seniors Apryle Pickering (Brandon, VT/Otter Valley Union) and Meg Crowley (Leominster, MA/Nashoba Regional), went 2-0 on the spring trip including a seven-inning one-hitter in a 4-0 victory over Upper Iowa. Johnston allowed seven hits and three unearned runs in 15 innings with eight strikeouts and six walks.

Johnston, a two-year letterwinner, came into the season with a 13-4 record and an earned run average of 3.01 with 65 strikeouts in 98 career innings.

Forrest has picked up right where he left off. The UCAA's top goaltender each of the last two seasons (and the league's “Rookie of the Year” following the 1999 campaign), Forrest enjoyed a 67.3 save percentage with a 9.00 goals against average in the wins over Tufts and Colby. He stopped 24 shots against the Jumbos and thwarted 13 attempts by the Mules.

Voted the Most Valuable Player of last year's team, Forrest has started all but one of his 26-game career and came into the season with a 66.3 save percentage and an 8.41 goals against average to go along with his 14-12 record. He is currently the UCAA's top goaltender with his 67.3 save percentage and his fourth with his goals against average. Forrest is also the key reason why the Dutchmen lead the league in Man Advantage Defense with their 90.0% average (allowing just one goal in 10 man-down situations).

Not only is Warzala leading the Dutchmen with his .560 batting average (14 for 25), he is leading the UCAA by .102. He is a big reason why Union is the circuit's top hitting team with hits .357 average.

Now in his fourth year as a starter, Warzala, last year's MVP, hit .304 and .431 (with 29 rbis and 29 runs scored) the last two years, respectively, after being used mostly as a pitcher during his freshman campaign. His 10 rbis this year are second (by one) in the league while his two round-trippers has him tied for second. Besides his hitting prowess, Warzala also picked up a pitching win in relief during the Dutchmen's 12-11 victory over Minnesota-Morris.

Warzala also played three seasons for the football team at tailback, leading the Dutchmen in rushing as a sophomore.

Posted on Mar 22, 2001

Schenectady, N.Y. (March 22, 2001) – “Saints, Sinners and Sacred Spaces: Devotional Folk Art in Latin America” reception and lecture Friday, April 6, at 6 p.m. (lecture at 7:30 p.m.) in the Mandeville Gallery at Union College's Nott Memorial with a lecture by exhibition curator Beate Echols.

The show, free and open to the public, runs through May 20.

All artwork in the exhibition comes from the collection of Echols and Michael Shub. Echols is a collector of Latin American folk art, and a private dealer. She is faculty member of the Folk Art Institute of the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City, where she teaches “Art from the Americas.” She has also taught this subject at the New York City Graduate Center and New York University. Echols lives in Manhattan.

Since 1989, Echols has operated “MARIPOSA – Unusual Art from Distant Places,” a dealership of Latin American folk art, Spanish colonial antiques, and international self-taught art.

She has curated and lent to exhibitions including “We are not Alone: Angels and other Aliens” at the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Baltimore; AVAM's current exhibition, “Treasures of the Soul: Who is Rich?”; “Between Heaven and Earth: Devotional Art from Puerto Rico and Mexico” at El Museo del Barrio, New York City; and “The Magical World of Antonio de Oliveira” at the San Antonio (Texas) Museum of Art.

“Communal or personal, lavish or humble, ephemeral or made to endure for generations,” writes Echols. “Devotional folk art is key to understanding the many cultures of Latin America and to comprehending the interrelationships between gods, saints, ancestors, and human beings in every day life, at times of crises, and during the rituals of life's passages.”

Other events in “Saints, Sinners and Sacred Spaces” are:

Saturday April 14, 8 p.m.
Palenque Lucia Pulido voice and cuatro, Satos Takeishi percussion, Luis Bonilla trombone, Adan Cocker clarinet. A concert of Afro-Columbian religious and secular music. Old Chapel, Union College
Thursday April 19, at 7:30 p.m.

Sacrilege! Censoring the Sacred in Contemporary Art Lecture by Yasmin Ramirez, consulting curator at El Museo del Barrio, in New York City. Co-sponsored by the Visual Arts Department. Nott Memorial, Union College (more)
Monday April 30, at 6:30 p.m.

Popular Devotion and the Politics of Religious Expression in Latin America Lecture by Daniel Mosquera, assistant professor of Spanish. Nott Memorial, Union College
Wednesday May 9, at 7:30 p.m.
Central Station (1999, directed by Walter Salles, Jr.) Screening of award-winning Brazilian film and discussion with William Garcia, associate professor of Spanish. F.W. Olin Center Auditorium, Union College
Tuesday May 15, at 6:30 p.m.
Bombazo Latino Youth Dance Group: Workshop and Performance Learn some basic Latin folk dance steps and then view a performance by Bombazo Latino Nott Memorial, Union College

For calendar listings:
Exhibition:
“Saints, Sinners and Sacred Spaces: Devotional Folk Art in Latin America”
Date:
through May 20 (opening reception Friday, April 6, 6 p.m. – lecture at 7:30 p.m.) See related events above.
Place:
Mandeville Gallery, Nott Memorial, Union College
Hours:
Through April 1: weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Through May 20: Monday though Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.
Cost:
free, open to the public
Information:
(518) 388-6004

Contact: Charlie Casey (518) 388-6090 caseyc@union.edu

Posted on Mar 2, 2001

When the Union College Chamber Singers finish a piece at London's famous Ely Cathedral next month, they will hear their voices echo for a full seven seconds.

Such ringing acoustics — no rarity in some of the world's largest cathedrals — present a special challenge for a group that is accustomed to performing in much smaller venues, said Dianne McMullen, director. With the echo so long, pieces must be performed at a slower tempo to avoid sounding muddled, McMullen explained.

The Union College Chamber Singers will perform four concerts in and around London from March 24 through 31. They will perform a pre-tour concert on Thursday, March 8, at 7 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. On the program are several movements from Handel's Messiah and the Hallelujah chorus.

These venues also present challenges for accompanist Elinore Farnum who must adjust to the quirks of house organs and

the complexities of playing an instrument that is removed from the choir, sometimes out of sight of the director.

Besides the Lady Chapel of the Ely Cathedral (where the renowned Cambridge Singers do their recordings) Union's 27-member group will be performing at Salisbury Cathedral, Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon (where Shakespeare was baptized and buried), and St. Luke's in London.

The centerpiece of the group's concert program is W.A. Mozart's Regina Coeli. Also to be featured is sacred music by Mendelssohn and J.M. Haydn, and secular music from the Renaissance to the present.

Besides the concerts, the singers are to tour Windsor Castle, Cambridge, Stratford-upon-Avon, Stonehenge and Bath.

This will be the second-ever trip abroad for Union College singers. The choir performed in Greece about a decade ago.