Sophomore forward Devon Bruce (Altamont, NY/Guilderland) picked up the first UCAA honor of the year for the men's basketball team. Bruce was named the conference's “Forward of the Week” after helping the Dutchmen improved to 3-1 by defeating Utica, 63-48, and Hartwick, 74-64, on the road last week.
Bruce shot 74% from the field (14-19) in the two games while scoring a combined 30 points with 15 rebounds. He netted 14 points with eight boards against Utica and had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds against Hartwick.
The Dutchmen conclude the 2002 portion of their schedule with games at Goucher (Baltimore, MD) and Mary Washington (Fredericksburg, VA) on December 14 and 16, respectively. The Garnet begins the 2003 calendar year at home against Plattsburgh on January 6 before playing their first home game of the season on January 10 and 11 as hosts of the annual Union Invitational.
The women's hockey team was recognized by the ECAC as Molly Flanagan (Simsbury, CT/Loomis Chaffee) and Courtney Riepenhoff (Skillman, NJ/Choate Rosemary Hall) were both selected to the Honor roll. had three goals and two assists last Friday and Saturday while Riepenhoff netted four goals and four assists as the Dutchwomen swept Salve Regina, 10-0 and 9-1, to improve to 4-1-1 in the ECAC (fourth place) and 5-4-1 overall.
The post-season honors keep on coming for Union stars Victoria Kuzman, Corinn Jordan, Lauren Stellato and Dan Lombreglia.
Kuzman (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) was Union's representative on the New York State Coaches' Association All-Star team and was also voted to the National Soccer Coaches' Athletic Association Regional All-American First Team. That honor puts her on the ballot for national All-American honors.
“Vicky was the backbone of our defense this year,” said head coach Brian Speck of his junior tri-captain. “We lost two defensive starters to graduation (from the 2001 team) and Vicky was the veteran who anchored our defense.”
The Dutchwomen, who finished with an overall record of 14-5-1, won the UCAA regular-season and post-season tournamets and participated in the NCAA championship tournament for the fourth consecutive season. Kuzman and her defensive mates allowed just 12 goals this season, an average of 0.59 a game.
Corinn Jordan
Sophomore forward Stephanie Mole' (Newton, MA/Newton North) was selected to the All Regional second team.
Jordan (New Hyde Park, NY/Herricks High), was named to the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association's First Team in the sport of volleyball. The senior tri-captain led the Dutchwomen to their first-ever NCAA championship tournament. Jordan, who helped Union finish second in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, was voted the Most Valuable Player of that event. She was named to the UCAA All-Conference team for the third consecutive season.
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.
Stellato (Upper Brookville, NY/Friends Academy) earned First Team honors after becoming just the second Dutchwoman in history to win the New York State Singles title out of the No. 1 position. The junior co-captain is already Union's all-time leader in singles victories with 57 career wins.
Lauren Stellato
Lombreglia (Sparta, NJ/Blair Academy), who was one of 14 Dutchmen to be voted to the UCAA All-Conference team, was the only Union player selected to both the Eastern College Athletic Conference's Northwest team or the Football Gazette's All-East Region squad. A two-year starter, Lombreglia had 61 first hits, 50 assists, this year for 111 total hits, each category is a team-high. He was second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss for 22 yards.
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.
Senior co-captain Ridgley Harrison (Hackettstown, NJ/Morristown) was voted the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's “Swimmer of the Meet” after winning all three of his freestyle races and helping the relay teams capture a pair of titles in the annual meet that was held at the University of Rochester last weekend. Harrison's efforts helped the Dutchmen capture second behind Hamilton. The Dutchwomen, meanwhile, placed fifth.
Harrison won the 50 free–by beating teammate Elliot Seguin, who swam a 21.64–(21.39), the 100 free (47.23) and the 200 free (1:43.60) and swam the anchor leg of the 200 and 400 relay teams. He also swam the anchor leg of the 200 free relay team, which finished second to Hamilton. Harrison's times in the 100 and 200 free not only established UCAA meet records, they were good enough to qualify him for the NCAA Championship Meet's “B” cut.
All three of Union's winning relay teams established UCAA meet records. The 400 medley relay team of Andrew Sparkes (West Hartford, CT/Conard)Aaron Phillips (West Hartford, CT/Conard), Pat Canniff (Latham, NY/Shaker), and Adam Retersdorf (Mayfield, NY/Gloversville) posted a time of 3:34.83. The 200 medley relay team of D.J. Hogenkamp (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora), Elliot Seguin (E. Lansing, MI/Cranbrook-Kingswood), John Vandervoort (Centerville, MA/Barnstable), and Harrison swam a 1:38.39 while the 400 freestyle team of Sequin, Retersdorf, Hogenkamp and Harrison finished in 3:11.11.
D.J. Hogenkamp
Hogenkamp, a freshman, set meet records in both the 100 and 200 backstrokes at 54.14 and 1:56.47, respectively, while Vandervoort took first place honors in the 200 IM with a 1:59.81.
The Dutchwomen's best finish came from senior Lauren Wander (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill), who took second in the 200 free (2:00.78) and fourth in the 500 free (5:30.81), sophomore Christina Duff (Westwood, MA/Westwood) who was second in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 19:07.82,
junior Seana Phillips (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth), who was third in the 50 free (25.89), and senior Brinley Mooney (Wellesley Hills, MA/Wellesley), who placed third in the 1 meter diving with 303.10 points
Union College head coach Bob Montana (center) poses with his two sons, John (left), a freshman basketball player for Hartwick, and Todd, Union's assistant coach
the last two years.
The Montana family is well represented in the game of college basketball. Bob, the father, is now in his seventh year at the helm of Union's program, while his middle son, Todd, has been his father's assistant the last two years. John, the youngest, is a freshman at Hartwick College and a member of the Hawks cage team. The oldest Montana sibling, Robby, is a sports writer for the Hornell Evening Tribune.
On Saturday, December 7, the trio met up at Hartwick when the Dutchmen defeated the Hawks, 74-64, in Oneonta.
“We (the Montanas) treated the game like a summer pickup game, we would compete to our fullest to help our teams win. However when it was over, we would know how much we cared for one another” said Bob Montana, who has the Dutchmen off to a 3-1 record with all four games played on the road (in fact, the Garnet's first six games are away from Memorial Field House).
“Having Todd as my assistant the last two seasons, working side by side to develop a team, has been a wonderful experience,” the elder Montana continued. “To play against Hartwick with John in an opposing jersey, well, that was difficult.”
Bob, whose varsity coaching record at Union is 87-76, is coming off a 2001-02 season that saw his Dutchmen tie the program's record for wins in a season (21), while winning both the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's regular-season title as well as the UCAA's tournament championship. Union received its first NCAA invitation since the 1982-83 campaign and hosted the first NCAA game ever held in Memorial Field House.
He has put together a string of four consecutive winning seasons from 1998-99 through last year's record-tying campaign, and also guided the Dutchmen into back-to-back Eastern College Athletic Conference Upstate New York championship tournaments. Montana was voted as the UCAA's “Co-Coach of the Year” in his sophomore campaign of 1997-98 and again last year.
Todd, who is a 2001 graduate of Ithaca College where he spent one year on the Bombers' staff. A graduate of nearby Niskayuna High School, Montana was as two-year member of the Silver Warriors' hoop team, earning a starting position as a
senior. He was awarded the Lazarek Basketball Scholarship for “academic and athletic performance” following his senior year.
John, who played at Alfred-Almond Central School for four years, was a two-year starter for the varsity team and was named the Most Valuable Player as a junior. Captain during his senior season, John was All-League second team selection following both his junior and senior seasons. Academically, he received the Alfred-Almond Alumni for his academic and athletic success as well as for his community service. He was also the recipient of the Brace Memorial Scholarship for his academic and athletic achievements.
Paul Matarazzo, right, capital projects manager, leads a tour of the South College renovation for members of the House System Implementation Committee.
The cold and dusty shell of South
College looked a long way from
showcase condition one recent December morning.
But to members of the House System
Implementation Committee, what will become the first building of the House
System was filled with promises — huge common rooms, high ceilings and tall
windows with sweeping views of campus and beyond.
During a tour of the work in
progress, Rebecca Seaman '04 picked out her room and posed gleefully for
photos; Byron Nichols wondered aloud if the sturdy 19th-century
wooden ceiling beams could remain exposed. (The fire code won't allow it.); several
members urged Nichols to head a sub-committee to preserve old vandalism — floorboards that were carved by students in the mid-1800. (The pieces were sent to
Special Collections.) Click here to read a story about the floorboards: http://www.union.edu/N/DS/s.php?s=3230
“This is a committee with
attitude,” said Tom McEvoy, dean of residential and campus life, over the din
of power tools. “And they like to have fun.”
The 19-member committee, however,
is doing some serious work. Charged with implementing what Dean of Students
Fred Alford called “the most significant social change since the College began
admitting women,” they spent two days in early December considering a range of
issues: government structure of the houses, engaging the faculty, and
allocating space for common rooms and seminar rooms. They are to meet for two
days in early January to continue the discussion and they will meet weekly
after that.
Besides the tour of South, they talked with Paul
Matarazzo, capital projects administrator, and other members of Facilities.
Doug
Marshall, lead architect of the project for Sasaki Associates, presented an
overview of the plans for all seven houses.
Students were excited about the use of color (“There
is not enough color on campus,” exclaimed sophomore Peter Jewett) and
the fact that the house designs and materials are first rate, with a feeling of
home. “The plans and color boards clearly show there is
an opportunity for great community development,” said
McEvoy. “I think the campus will like the outcome.”
The committee's goal is to make
the College's transition to the House System as seamless as possible.
One question arose over South
College itself: how can we
institute a House System when only two-sevenths of the students and faculty can
be affiliated with it? The committee chose to make South into two
“laboratories” – Yellow Lab and Green Zone – and have students apply to live in
its 98 spaces much as they would for a
theme house.
“South will be a bridge to the
House System,” McEvoy said. “And we can use [the labs] as a way to work out
some of the kinks.”
Dean of Students Fred Alford
passed the torch at a dinner with members of the implementation committee and the
U2K committee, which recommended the House System. “I wanted the [new
committee] to understand the history of the decision and to give a sense of the
importance of the House System to the institution,” Alford said.
The meeting of the two committees
also created a rivalry or sorts. During dinner, someone observed that two members
of U2K became engaged after meeting on the
committee, prompting
some in the newer committee to wonder how
they might
top that.
For committee member Therese
McCarty, professor of economics, the most exciting part of the committee work
is seeing the plans for the houses. “It's exciting to realize that they are
going to be great facilities and that all of a sudden students and faculty will
have access to them,” she said.
McCarty said she also was
surprised that the committee has covered so much ground so quickly. “We've made
a lot of decisions, but not hastily,” she said. “They are very well
considered.”
“When discussing potentially
contentious issues, we've gotten to the point very quickly,” McCarty said. For
example, the committee has started to tackle the issue of tension between
students who are participating in an event and those who are not. (As one
student asked, “What about the students who want to come downstairs to a common
space in their pajamas?”) While each house will set policy about the use of
social spaces, the committee has begun to consider how they can minimize
tensions by designing separate social spaces. “We need to be aware that there
is a lounge space separated from where a group may be showing a movie,” McCarty
said. “And decisions about furniture are inextricably tied up with how a space
will be used.”
Students on the committee are very
articulate and thoughtful and there is not a Greek versus non-Greek
polarization, McCarty said. “I have a hard time remembering which students are
Greek and which ones are not.”
At the committee's first meeting,
one student asked how the faculty and staff members would like to be addressed.
“We decided that everyone should be called by their first name,” McEvoy said.
“It's significant in that every one is an equal player.”
The planning and implementation of
the House System is being supported by a $200,000 grant from the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation.
The Residential House System at Union
was conceived by a committee of students, faculty and staff and approved by the
Board of Trustees. The House System initiative calls for the creation of seven residential houses on the Union campus. The system will bring students, faculty
and staff together to engage one another in an out-of-class experience that
adds another element of energy and vitality to the campus. Incoming first-year students
will receive an assignment to one of the seven houses, and maintain that affiliation
though their four years as students, and on into their years as alumni.
