Posted on Oct 29, 2003

The men's soccer team will complete its regular season this Saturday at 11 a.m. at UCAA rival Skidmore. The Dutchmen need a victory over the Thoroughbreds and a loss by Vassar to homestanding Rensselaer in order to have a chance at qualifying for the UCAA's four-team postseason tournament. Last year Skidmore upset the Dutchmen, 1-0, in the regular-season finale that allowed Hobart to qualify as the fourth team.

Union goes into this Saturday's game with a league record of 2-4, including a 2-0 victory over Vassar. Each victory is worth three points with ties earning one point. Vassar, which is 2-3-1, has seven league points while 2-2-2 Skidmore has eight points. St. Lawrence ended its league season with a 6-1 record and will host the tournament.

The Dutchmen's 2-1 overtime victory over Utica on Wednesday ensured that the team will finish the campaign with their third consecutive winning season for the first time since the 1991-92-and 93 campaigns. Head Coach Jeff Guinn, who is finishing his eighth season, has guided the Dutchmen to an overall record of 28-20-3 over the last three years, including the 9-6-1 mark so far this year. He gives his seniors much of the credit for the program's foundation.

“Our senior class is a small, but has been a very important group in developing our program to where it is today,” said Guinn. “After a very difficult first year, where season-ending injuries seemed to happen twice a week, these players continued to believe in the program and in our ability to rebuild into a team that is competitive with anyone in the region.

“Peter Devine has been a great offensive weapon for us,” Guinn continued. “He is as skilled a player as you will find at this level and he was recognized last season as a UCAA All-Conference selection. Injuries have set him back this season, but he has played very well down the stretch scoring against both Vassar and Hobart.

“Kevin Dolan is a coach's player,” said Guinn. “He has been a starter for the majority of the games in his career at left midfield or outside back. Kevin is steady and predictable and always puts in his best effort. As a captain this season he has lead by example and has become more vocal. Peter scored a couple big goals this season against Southern Maine and New Paltz.

“Chris Johnson has been a great program player. He has been a backup goalie for much of his career, which is difficult. Chris has handled the role very well and has always supported his teammates and has given his best efforts in training and on the field.”

The seniors and the rest of the Dutchmen are hoping to extend their season for at least one more week.

Posted on Oct 29, 2003

The women's soccer team, which clinched its second consecutive UCAA title when it beat William Smith, 3-1, on the road on October 24, is looking to become the first Union College team ever to compete in five consecutive NCAA tournaments (they currently are tied with the men's soccer teams of 1983, 84, 85 and 86 with four-straight appearances in the national tournament). In order to assure themselves of that standard, the Dutchwomen must win the four-team UCAA tournament in order to capture the conference's automatic bid. Last year Union won the regular-season and tournament titles to earn a spot in the NCAA New York Regional, which was held at William Smith. The Dutchwomen lost to NYU in the opening round, 4-3 on penalty kicks.

Ninth-year head coach Brian Speck led his squad to an overall record of 115-32-12 along with four UCAA championships, two New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association titles (in 1999 and 2000), and four NCAA invitations. Speck's team will finish its regular season this week with games at 10-3-3 Nazareth (Saturday at 1 p.m.) and 3-13-1 St. John Fisher (Sunday at 1 p.m.).

Union's high-powered offense, which has scored 64 goals, has four of the top five spots in the UCAA's overall scoring statistics. Sophomore Erika Eisenhut leads the conference with 17 goals and 38 points. Six of her goals have resulted in the game-winner, also a circuit high. Junior Brittany Cressman (11-12-34) is second in the league while sophomore Cassandra Mariani (9-4-22) and senior Corinne Hennessy (7-3-17). Cressman's dozen assists is a league high.

The Dutchwomen are equally tough on the defensive side as their 10 goals allowed is a conference low. Sophomore goaltender Julie Gawronski, who ranks just seventh in total saves (41) and ninth in saves per game (2.41), is the top-rated netminder with her sparkling 0.57 goals against average.

Next Saturday's first round games will pit No. 2 William Smith (6-1 / 11-4-1) against No. 3 Hamilton (4-2-1 / 8-3-1), while Union plays No. 4 St. Lawrence (4-2-1 / 10-4-1). The two winners will meet Sunday for the tournament title and the NCAA berth.

The Dutchwomen go into this weekend's regular-season finale at 14-1-1.

The women's volleyball team suffered a little bit of a drop off this season after three consecutive years of growth. Fourth-year head coach Sandy Collins came into the season with a record of 66-38. Her first season in 2000 saw the Dutchwomen qualify for the NYSWCAA postseason tournament for the first time since 1996. Her second season produced a record of 25-13 and the program's first-ever invitation to the ECAC postseason party. Last year, Collins, who took over as the athletic department's equipment manager over the summer, led her team to a record of 23-11 and Union's first-ever NCAA berth in 2002.

With just two players lost to graduation the Dutchwomen went into the year with high hopes. However, a couple of matches went in favor of the opposition leaving Union with an overall record of 15-15 and out of contention for this weekend's state tournament. In order to return to the national tournament, the Dutchwomen would have to win next weekend's UCAA tournament (which does not carry an automatic bid because the conference does not have the required seven team minimum) and hope for a break.

“We always play some of best volleyball against conference opponents,” said Collins. “The intense rivalries that exist between us and Vassar and us and Skidmore are pure motivation. Clarkson has beaten us three times this year and we will certainly be looking for redemption against them, especially on our home court.”

Here is a quick look at the teams:

VASSAR-(15-7)–has won the last two tournaments and defeated Union in four games in the opening round of last year's NCAA Tournament. Key players for Vassar include Anita Stavin, McKenzie Johnson, and Ashley Manlove;

UNION–(15-15)-the Dutchwomen have finished second in the event for the past two years. Key players include Jess Meliosky, Sarah Pontius, Julie Moran, and Ashley Clark;

CLARKSON-(25-6)-key players include Heather Sill, Stephanie Thornton, and Kim Spierre;

SKIDMORE-(19-15)-key players include Courtney Lambert, Erin Black, Shanley Irving, and Darryl Manzer

ST. LAWRENCE–(9-23)-key players include Serena Shallish, Beth Patterson, and Kristen Ely.

Seedings will be determined on Monday November 3. On Friday, Union will play Skidmore at 4:00 followed by matches at 6:00 and 8:00. Saturday's matches will be 11:00, 1:00 and 3:00.

Posted on Oct 29, 2003

While this time of the year—the overlap that sees the end of the fall season and the beginning of the winter campaigns—is busy for those involved with college sports, next weekend (October 31 through November 2) is going to be particularly busy at Union. The women's soccer team and the volleyball squad will host the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association post-season tournaments. While those two events are going on at Garis Field and in the Fieldhouse, respectively, the football team will be battling Muhlenberg in an attempt to keep its hopes alive for a possible Eastern College Athletic Conference postseason invitation. The cross country teams will participate in the annual state tournament at the Saratoga National Park. As for field hockey, the Dutchwomen will put away their equipment after this Saturday's game at Brockport and look to build on the new ideas brought to the program by first-year head coach Lacey French.

While these fall teams continue their respective runs, the women's hockey team will play its first league game as a member of the ECAC Division I circuit when Harvard comes to Schenectady for a two-game series (Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.). The men's hockey team, meanwhile, will open its first ECAC season under head coach Nate Leaman at St. Lawrence and Clarkson, respectively (both games start at 7 p.m.).

Posted on Oct 27, 2003

Etienne Mullet, director of the
Laboratory “Cognition & Decision” of the EPHE (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes) in Toulouse, France, will speak on “Physician-Assisted Suicide and
Euthanasia: A French Perspective” on Tuesday, Oct. 28,
at 4:30
p.m. in Humanities 019 at Union College.

The talk is free and open to the public.

Mullet, a frequent commentator on a sensational
current legal case in France, also served as
professor of psychology at the University Charles-de-Gaulle.  His
research interests include how people integrate information, perception of
risks, forgiveness, and end-of-life decision making. He has a number of papers
under publication on topics including the acceptability of ending a patient's
life, physician-assisted suicide and the acceptability of euthanasia.

The talk is sponsored by the
Center for Bioethics and Clinical Leadership of the Graduate College of Union
University, the Hewlett Foundation grant for General Education Science,
the Departments of Philosophy and Political Science
of Union College and the Pre-health Society of Union College. 

Posted on Oct 24, 2003

Sarah Greenwald '91, assistant professor of mathematics at
Appalachian State University, will give a talk on “Simpsons Rule: Mathematical
Morsels from the Simpsons” today (Thursday,
Oct. 23, 2003) at 5:30 p.m.
in Olin 115. Greenwald, with her colleague Andrew Nestler at Santa
Monica College,
present their work on the popular TV show at a website: http://www.mathsci.appstate.edu/~sjg/simpsonsmath/

The talk is sponsored by the mathematics department.