Posted on Nov 20, 2002

Union's eight fall teams produced a record of 59-54-3 (a winning percentage of .522) with volleyball and women's soccer both earning NCAA invitations. Men's soccer put its first back-to-back winning seasons together for the first time since 1992 and 1993, and the women's tennis team finished in a tie for third at the New York State Tournament to top its previous best showing of ninth.

The teams' success brought accolades to 11 individuals who were voted to the Upstate College Athletic Association All-Conference team for their particular sport.

Head coach Brian Speck and his women's soccer, which participated in its fourth consecutive NCAA tournament, tied a Union College record for consecutive appearances in the national event. Football (under coach Al Bagnoli) and men's soccer (under coach Bob Magee) both participated in their respective NCAA tournaments in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986. The football team reached the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the national championship game, in 1983, losing to Augustana, 21-17, in the final three minutes.

Head coach Susan Bassett, who headed the men's and women's swim programs from 1987-88 through 1994-95, guided her women to six top 20 finishes from the 1989-90 season through the 1994-95 campaign (the Dutchwomen finished 14th, 17th, 10th, eighth, ninth, and 19th, respectively) while the Dutchmen placed sixth in the country in 1993-94 and fourth in her final season of 1994-95.

Union's other consecutive NCAA appearance came from the Division III men's hockey team when head coach Charlie Morrison guided three teams to the national event (1983-84, 1984-85, and 1985-86). The '83-84 team finished second to Babson while the '84-85 Skating Dutchmen hosted the National Frozen Four, finishing third.

Here is a look at the Dutchwomen and men who were voted to the UCAA All-Conference teams this year
(football has not yet been selected).

Women's Soccer Puts Five on UCAA All-Conference Team

The women's soccer team topped the list with five players being selected to the first or second team. Junior defensewoman
Vicki Kuzman (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland), junior midfielder
Stephanie Mole (Newton MA/Newton North) and freshman forward Erika Eisenhut (Mohawk, NY/Mohawk) were all selected to the first team. Second team members included sophomore forward
Brittany Cressman (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and sophomore midfielder
Molly Flanagan (Simsbury, CT/Loomis Chaffee).

Kuzman, who will be wearing a basketball uniform this winter, is a first-time All-Conference selection while Mole' made the first team for the second consecutive year. As a sophomore forward, Mole' scored 13 goals and 31 points and was the Dutchwomen's leading scorer. Besides being named First Team All-Conference, she was an All-State selection as well as a National Soccer Coaches Association Second Team All-East player. Eisenhut's rookie year produced seven goals and 18 points for the Dutchwomen. Erika, who also be playing basketball this winter, joined her sister Meredith (a graduate player for St. Lawrence) on the first team.

Cressman, whose eight goals led the Dutchwomen while her 18 points tied Eisenhut for first on the team's scoring list, is a first-time selection while Flanagan earned second team honors last year.

Men's Soccer Puts Five on UCAA All-Conference Team

The Dutchmen, who just missed fourth place and the UCAA Championship Tournament when they lost to Skidmore, 1-0, in the regular-season finale, was represented on the first team by junior forward
Peter Devine (Millbury, MA/St. John's) and senior midfielder Graham Lombardo (Bristol, RI/LaSalle
Academy). Senior defender Kevin Cox (Reston, VA/Flint) was a second team selection.

Devine, who was a second-team selection last year, finished second to Lombardo on the Dutchmen's scoring list with seven goals and 14 points. A three-year starter, Devine heads into his senior season with 23 goals and 53 points. Lombardo, who was also a first-team selection in 2001, led this year's scoring chart with eight goals and 20 points. His career total of 83 points puts him third on the Dutchmen's all-time scoring list. He finishes with 36 goals and 11 assists. Cox, who helped Union record seven shutouts while allowing 18 goals over the 18-game season,
picked up his first All-Conference selection.

Jordan & Pontius Represent Union Volleyball

Senior Corinn Jordan (New Hyde Park, NY/Herricks) and junior Sarah Pontius (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta) were both named to the UCAA All-Conference First Team in the sport of volleyball.

This is the third consecutive year that Jordan has been an All-Conference selection and the second-straight season that Pontius has been selected. The pair helped the Dutchwomen finish second in the UCAA Tournament (to Vassar) and earn Union's first-ever NCAA berth. Jordan was also named the Most Valuable Player of the conference tournament.

The Dutchwomen, who were 25-13 in 2001, finished 23-11 this season for the program's first-ever back-to-back 20-win seasons. Jordan led the Garnet in Kills (with 612 or an average of 4.67), was
second (by two) with her 493 Digs (3.76 per game), and was third on the team with 36 total blocks. Pontius, meanwhile, led the Garnet with 1,331 assists (10.4 a game) and was third in service aces with 63.

Junior Lauren Stellato Already Owns Union's All-Time Victory Mark

Union has a new all-time victory leader in junior Lauren Stellato (Upper Brookville, NY/ Friends
Academy). Stellato, who brought back the New York State No. 1 Singles crown earlier this fall, surpassed Julie Miller, Class of '84, with her 57 career wins. Miller, Class of '84, who came to Union from Miami, FL/Miami Palmetto Sr. High) was the first to bring Union a state crown when she captured the No. 1 title in 1983. A four-year standout for both the tennis and basketball teams, Miller graduated on the top of the tennis team's all-time list with 51 victories. Third on the list is Cassie Lawton, Class of 99,who finished with 37 victories out of the No. 1 position.

Stellato, became just the fourth Dutchwoman to win a New York State singles championship. Besides Miller, Amy Kessingern (Class of '95), won the title out of the No. 4 position in 1994, and Susan Yoo (Class of '01), who captured the No. 3 singles title in 1999.

Stellato defeated Vassar's Becky Weldon, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 helping the Dutchwomen finish their season with a College-best third-place finish out of the 16 participating teams.

Miller was a two-time Most Valuable Player for the tennis team and captured the
basketball team's MVP award following her sophomore season. At the time of Miller's graduation, she was the hoop team's all-time leading rebounder with 556 (an 8.5 career average). She also contributed 630 points (9.7 ppg) during her 65-game college career.

Posted on Nov 20, 2002

Senior assistant captain Kris Goodjohn (Calgary, Alberta) is on a three-game points streak (2-2-4), scoring two goals and an assist last weekend. The center was the only Union player with a multiple point game (1-1-2 vs. SLU) and is tied for first among his teammates in scoring.

Freshman goalie Kris Mayotte (Finleyville, Pennsylvania) continued his winning ways after his third win of the season vs. the Saints on Friday. Now 3-0-1, the netminder has a 2.91 GAA and .922 sv%, which leads all Dutchmen goalies.

Freshman goalie Tim Roth (Teaneck, New Jersey) earned his first ECAC point after stopping 32 of 34 Clarkson shots on Saturday. His record now stands at 0-2-1.

Union's top line of Nathan Gillies (Cambridge, Ontario), Jordan Webb (Nepean, Ontario), and Joel Beal (Brantford, Ontario) continues to lead their teammates, accounting for one goal and four assists last weekend. They have 11 goals and 19 assists and are +9 overall in 2002-03.

Sophomore defenseman Chris DiStefano (Albany, New York) scored his first goal of the season on Saturday. DiStefano leads all Union defensemen in scoring (1-4-5).

Marc Neron (Moonbeam, Ontario) added his fourth goal of the season in Friday's game, which is second among the Dutchmen. His .286 shot % and two power play goals leads Union.

Scoring by Class:

• Seniors: (4) 9-19-28
• Juniors: (3) 0-0-0
• Sophomores: (9) 16-21-36
• Freshmen: (8) 3-8-11

Posted on Nov 20, 2002

Last January, the Dutchmen put an end to a 12-game losing streak vs. the St. Lawrence Saints. Friday night, Union put another streak to rest: a seven-game losing streak to the Saints at Achilles Rink. The last time a Union team beat the Saints at home was in 1994, and the 3-2 win at home also gave the Dutchmen their first two ECAC points of the season.

Union opened the scoring at 7:34 of the first with an even-strength goal by Marc Neron, assisted by Kris Goodjohn and Jonathan Poirier. The two-point lead came at 9:16 on the power play, the goal scored by Jordan Webb and assisted by Bryan Campbell and Nathan Gillies.

The Dutchmen took the lead into the second when St. Lawrence got on board at 1:49. Josh Anderson scored the goal to put the Saints within one, his goal assisted by T.J. Treveleyan. Union regained the two-goal lead at 5:19 with a goal by Goodjohn, assisted by Jason Kean to end the period 3-1.

The Saints made it interesting in the third, scoring late at 16:25 with a goal by Adam Hogg, assisted by Jeremy Cormier and Mike Madill. Despite pulling goalie Mike McKenna with a little over 1:06 remaining, Union held on for the win.

Union was 1-4 on the power play while the Saints were 0-4. Shots were 24-20 in favor of St. Lawrence.

Freshman goalie Kris Mayotte was strong in net, making 22 saves and earning the first star of the game. McKenna made 17 saves for St. Lawrence.

Saturday showcased much of the same from the Dutchmen. The last time Union College earned three points from the North Country teams was in 1994. But thanks to the 3-2 win over the Saints on Friday and a 2-2 OT tie on Saturday vs. the Clarkson Golden Knights, Union earned three crucial ECAC points on the weekend. Clarkson and Union have now skated in two consecutive games that ended in OT ties.

Union started the scoring at 10:35 of the first with Kris Goodjohn's fourth goal of the season, this one assisted by Joel Beal and Matt Vagvolgyi. The one-goal lead was short-lived with Clarkson tying it at 11:03, Chris Blight scored the even-strength goal from Chris Bahen and Mac Faulkner. But Chris DiStefano, coming out of the box after his obstruction-interference penalty, scored at 15:51 from Nathan Gillies for the 2-1 lead heading into the second.

Clarkson's Kevin O'Flaherty had the only goal of the second, a power play goal from Randy Jones and Dave Reid at 14:52. Neither team scored in regulation or in overtime to decide the game.

Union was 0-4 on the power play while Clarkson was 1-6. Shots were 41-34 in favor of the Dutchmen.

Freshman goalie Tim Roth made 32 saves for the tie while Dustin Traylen made 39 for the Golden Knights.

Posted on Nov 20, 2002

After putting a tough stretch of non-conference games behind them, the Union Dutchmen got off to an impressive ECAC start last weekend (1-0-1) and look to continue that early success this weekend at Princeton and Yale. Union split with both teams last season (3-1 W, 4-2 L; 5-2 L, 5-2 W respectively).

Princeton enters the weekend 0-4-0//0-2-2 in the ECAC, having lost both ECAC games last weekend to Colgate and Cornell. Dustin Sproat, Patrick Neundorfer, and Mike Patton each tallied goals in Friday's 4-3 loss at Colgate with goalie Nate Nomeland making 17 saves. The Tigers were shutout on Saturday 3-0 with goalie Trevor Clay stopping 26 of 29 shots.

Current Dutchmen with points in last season's series: Joel Beal (1-1-2), Kris Goodjohn (1-1-2), Jason Kean (0-2-2), Matt Vagvolgyi (1-0-1), Chris DiStefano (0-1-1), Nathan Gillies (0-1-1), and Marc Neron (0-1-1).

Yale is 1-2-0//1-1-0 in ECAC play with their loss to Cornell (6-2) and their win vs. Colgate (6-1). Vin Hellemeyer and Nate Jackson scored in the loss and Peter Dobrowolski was in net, making 22 saves. Chris Higgins scored two goals the following day in Yale's win while Evan Wax, Christian Jensen, Nick Deschenes, and Joe Zappala each scored one. Peter Cohen made 19 saves for the win.

Current Dutchmen with points in last season's series: Kris Goodjohn (2-2-4), Joel Beal (2-0-2), Jordan Webb (1-1-2), Matt Vagvolgyi (0-2-2), Nathan Gillies (1-0-1), Randy Dagenais (0-1-1), Jason Kean (0-1-1), Marc Neron (0-1-1), and Max Seel (0-1-1).

Posted on Nov 18, 2002

Donald T. Rodbell, a Union College geology professor is
co-author of a study, published this week in Nature, that found that El Ni­no, the tropical phenomenon that can
affect weather across the entire Western hemisphere, occurs on a roughly 2,000-year
cycle.

Chris Moy, a 1998 Union graduate
who was a student of Rodbell's, was the paper's lead
author. Other co-authors were Geoffrey Seltzer of Syracuse
University and David Anderson of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, both of whom have been
long-time collaborators with Rodbell on a series of studies on global climate
change. They have done extensive field work in the Andes
Mountains of Peru
and Ecuador,
funded with grants from the National Science Foundation.

The paper was based on Moy's graduate work at Syracuse
with Seltzer. Moy is pursuing his Ph.D. in geology at Stanford
University.

In a 1999 study published in Science, Rodbell and Seltzer reported on their discovery of the
first continuous record of El Nino events dating back more than 5,000 years. The
scientists used sediment samples from Lake
Pallcacocha in southern Ecuador
as part of a larger 1993 study of global climate change. The lighter-colored
bands of sediment indicated debris that would flow into the lake during the
high precipitation periods characteristic of El Nino.

The recent Nature article
confirms the findings of the earlier study, that El Nino patterns began about
10,000 years ago and increased in frequency starting 7,000 years ago. The new
study found high-frequency clusters of El Nino occurring on a 2,000-year cycle.

Publication in Nature,
widely considered one of the premier international science journals, is a
prized event for a scientist. It is highly unusual for someone to publish their
master's thesis in the journal, as Moy has done, Rodbell notes.