Posted on Oct 29, 2002

A total of 30 men and women student-athletes from Union qualified for the the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's 2002 All-Academic Team for the fall season. Student-athletes from the nine conference schools were selected to the team based on the following criteria: sophomore academic standing, at least a 3.2 grade point average, and on the team roster for the academic year. Representing Union are:

Men's Soccer

• Brian Foy – Sr., Spackenkill, New York, Mechanical Engineering
  

Women's Soccer

• Stephanie Mole – Jr., Newton, Massachusetts, Undeclared
  
• Carolyn Stead – Sr., Portland, Maine, Psychology & English
  

Football

• Mike Ranfone – Sr., Branford, Connecticut, Economics
  
• Dan Mehleisen – Jr., Latham, New York, Economics
  
• Justin Sievert – Sr., Wyoming, Michigan, Economics
  
• Ed Larkin – So., Tupper Lake, New York, Economics
  
• Grant Lanterman – Sr., Morrisville, New York, Computer Science
  
• Mike Flannagan – So., Oxford, New York, Civil Engineering
  
• Steve Layton – So., Burnt Hills, New York, Economics
  
• Cliff Eisenhut – So., Mohawk, New York, Political Science
  

Cross Country

• Ben Waite – Sr., Cumberland, Maine, Civil Engineering
  
• Sara Ostrow – So., Raleigh, North Carolina, Political Science & History
  
• Rebecca Seaman – Jr., Poughkeepsie, New York, Biology & Spanish
  

Volleyball

• Katie Chylinski – So., Syracuse, New York, Electrical Engineering
  
• Ashley Clark – So., Greenwich, Connecticut, Philosophy
  
• Sue Gestwick – So., Charlton, New York, Mathematics
  
• Corrin Jordan – Sr., Hyde Park, New York, Economics
  
• Kirin Liquori – Jr., Rexford, New York, Spanish & German
  
• Katie Lombardo – Sr., Albany, New York, Psychology & Spanish
  
• Julie Moran – Jr., Nisswa, Minnesota, Psychology & Art
  
• Sarah Pontius – Jr., Oneonta, New York, Economics
  

Field Hockey

• Terra Lederhouse – Sr., Ransomville, New York, Biology & Environmental Studies
  
• Chelsi Stevens – Sr., Fairport, New York, Political Science & French
  
• Sophie Jensen – Jr., Locust Valley, New York, Political Science
  
• Liz Soto – Jr., Hamden, Connecticut, Political Science
  
• Lauren Cuozzo – So., Greenwich, Connecticut, Undeclared
  
• Elena Baror – So., Armonk, New York, Psychology
  
• Jess Grondin – So., Enfield, Connecticut, French & Biochemistry
  

Women's Tennis

• Megann Denefrio – Sr., Blauvelt, New York, Political Science
  

Posted on Oct 29, 2002

Head coach Sandy Collins, now in her third season as the Dutchwomen's volleyball head coach, keeps pushing her young and talented squad to new heights. The Dutchwomen will enter Union's history book this weekend as they become the first team to qualify for the New York State Women's Collegiate championship tournament for the third consecutive season. This year's Garnet squad also became the first at Union to put together consecutive 20-win seasons, and the Dutchwomen's sixth-place ranking going into the tournament is the highest ever achieved by a Union squad. The event is being hosted by Hunter College.

Union will open its bid for the state title Saturday at noon against 11th-seeded Rochester.

Collins, who took over the program prior to the 2000 season, led that team to an 18-14 overall record, which included the Dutchwomen's first state tournament invitation since the 1996 campaign. While Union lost its only two postseason matches that year, the team's success was the cornerstone for last year's record-setting 25-13 campaign. Not only did the Dutchwomen set the college record for wins in a season, they finished second in the UCAA Tournament, finished ninth in the state event (after being seeded 12th) and earned the program's first-ever invitation to the Eastern College Athletic Conference's post-season tournament.

Union, which goes into this weekend's state event with a record of 20-7, enjoyed a 10-game win streak earlier this year and has beaten such perennial powerhouses such as Vassar, Skidmore, and St. Rose along the way.

Senior Corinn Jordan New Hyde Park, NY/Herricks) was named the UCAA “Player of the Week” for the second time this year as she helped the Dutchwomen to a second-place finish in last weekend's Skidmore Invitational. Jordan averaged 4.8 kills and 3.0 digs per game in the four matches. Jordan recorded three double-doubles and over 30 kills against Skidmore in the championship match and was selected to the All-Tournament team along with classmate Katie Lombardo (Albany, NY/Albany).

Junior setter Sara Pontius (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) set a new Dutchwoman standard as she went over the 1,000-assist mark for the third consecutive season.

This weekend's state event is not the end of the season for the Dutchwomen. Next weekend (Nov. 8 & 9) Union will travel to Clarkson to compete in the annual UCAA championship. A solid showing in
that tournament should bring another postseason invitation to Union.

Posted on Oct 29, 2002

With one game left in the 2002 regular season, Coach Brian Speck has guided the Dutchwomen to an eight-year record of 99-30-9 and into three consecutive NCAA championship tournaments. Under his leadership, Union won back-to-back New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association championships in 1999 and 2000, declining the top seed and participation in both 1998 and 2001. His Dutchwomen have captured three of the last five Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association championships. Speck, a graduate of nearby Burnt Hills High School and the former girls soccer coach at Niskayuna before coming to Union, is looking for the Dutchwomen's fourth consecutive NCAA invitation. The Dutchwomen have enjoyed double-digit winning seasons each of the last six years.

His 1999 squad captured Union's first New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association championship and became the first soccer team from Union to be selected to the NCAA tournament. The Dutchwomen's 4-3 triple overtime win over host Ithaca (a game that saw Union trailing 3-0 at halftime), was the first NCAA victory in the 30-year history of women's athletics at Union.

Brian was voted the UCAA as well as the New York State “Coach of the Year” after leading the Dutchwomen to their record-setting 13-1-1 record in 1998 (which included a 6-0-0 UCAA mark and their first league title).

Prior to coming to Union, Brian compiled a six-year varsity record of 102-20-6 at nearby Niskayuna High School. He was named the “Coach of the Year” by both the New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organizations for Girls Sports and Section II. Under his direction, Niskayuna was ranked seventh in the nation in 1994 and was the New York State co-champions with Huntington, the nation's top team, after a 2-2 overtime tie.Brian led Niskayuna to four Suburban Council championships, a Section II, Class A title, a Section II Class B crown (in 1993), back-to-back regional championships and consecutive state titles (in 1993 and 1994).

Posted on Oct 29, 2002

Saturday was a family reunion, of sorts, for the Eisenhut family. Greg and Kathleen Eisenhut, of Mohawk, New York, were at Frank Bailey Field during the afternoon to watch their son, Cliff, who is a junior place-kicker at Union, kick a 32-yard field goal and both extra points as the Dutchmen beat Coast Guard, 17-12, in football. That night, also on Bailey Field, the couple saw their daughters compete against each other for the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's regular-season soccer championship. Union freshman Erika scored what proved to be the game-winning goal to lead the Dutchwomen over St. Lawrence, and her older sister, Meredith, 2-0.

Erika's goal against the Saints was her fourth of a three-victory week for the Dutchwomen (now 12-4 overall and winners of seven in a row), and the third-straight game in which she has scored the game-winning tally. Her efforts earned her the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's “Player of the Week” award. Erika leads Union's scoring with 17 points (seven goals & three assists) while Meredith, who has a career total of 41 goals, 11 assists and 93 points) leads the Saints' scoring this year with 6-4-16.

Union, which has one regular-season game remaining with Nazareth, (on November 2 at 2:30 p.m. on Bailey Field), will host the first UCAA Tournament on November 9th and 10th. The Dutchwomen will take on No. 4 Hamilton Saturday at 11 a.m. with No. 2 William Smith battling No. 3 St. Lawrence at 1:30. The tournament championship game will be held on Sunday at 1 p.m. with the victor receiving the UCAA's automatic NCAA berth. The Dutchwomen are looking for their third consecutive invitation to the national championship event.

Meredith Eisenhut, who set up the Saturday night showdown by scoring the game-winning goal in Friday's 2-1 double overtime victory over Skidmore, is arguably the best female athlete ever to put on a St. Lawrence uniform, earning UCAA Player of the Year status in soccer, basketball and softball during the 2000-01 academic year. Eisenhut was a Regional All America selection in soccer following the 2000 season, and was named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division III Player of the Year last year. A consistent Dean's List student, Eisenhut earned membership in Pi Mu Epsilon, Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Beta Kappa.

Cliff, a junior placekicker for the football team and a outfielder on the Dutchmen's 2002 ECAC Upstate New York championship team, has sat behind All-American kicker Andrew Ruffo the last two seasons. However, when his opportunity came this year, Cliff responded by connecting on his first nine field goal attempts. In fact, he had No. 10 in the bag against the University of Rochester only to have the three-pointer pulled off the board because of a penalty. He missed the second try at No. 10 and was wide on this 11th kick before connecting his last two to make him 11 for 13 for the year. His 14 of 17 point after touchdown kicks makes him the 5-2 Dutchmen's scoring leader with 47 points.

Erika, who like her brother and sister, is a graduate of Mohawk Central School in Herkimer County, will join the basketball team after the soccer season ends. A National Honor Society student and an All-State basketball and soccer player for Mohawk Central, Erika was the All-Mohawk Valley “Player of the Year” following her senior campaign.

Posted on Oct 26, 2002

A new online version of the admissions viewbook uses multimedia to extend the Union profiles in the printed viewbook. Like the printed version, the online viewbook contains 16 profiles: 15 of Union students, and one of Dean of Faculty Christina Sorum (whose weimaraner, Hector, also has a starring role).

In addition to introducing a member of the Union community, each of the profiles illustrates an aspect of life at Union, many with video or animation. According to Admissions VP Dan Lundquist, “The video representation of the Nott Memorial at dawn brings the building and the campus to life in a way that's difficult to achieve with traditional media. These online profiles really enhance an online visitor's understanding of Union.”

The first four profiles have been launched this week. They include Sorum on the Nott Memorial (“the most spectacular building in the world … at sunrise and sunset it's all twinkly and beautiful”), Ariadne Papagapitos '02 on the House System, Frederic Cyr '02 on Terms Abroad, and David Chapin '02 on Converging Technologies. Four new profiles will be launched every six weeks until all 16 are available on the web.

The online viewbook is available through the Admissions home page: http://www.union.edu/Admissions.