Head Coach Mary Ellen Burt and assistant Jamie Seward earned their second-straight Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association “Coaching Staff of the Year” award it was announced today (February 26) by the conference office.
Burt and Seward led the Dutchwomen to their first-ever UCAA regular-season title with a record of 13-1. Union, which will host the conference's postseason tournament this Friday and Saturday (February 27 & 28), goes into the four-team event at 21-3. Last year Burt and Seward guided the Dutchwomen to a second place finish in the UCAA in both the regular-season (with a record of 11-3) and the tournament. Union was 22-5 overall.
“This is quite a honor for Jamie and I,” said Burt, who is in her eighth year and has a career record of 116-110, all at Union (including a standard of 89-41 overall and 46-22 in the UCAA over the last five years). “Most importantly,” Burt continued, “this is an honor that is shared with, and because of, every single member of the team. “Team” is what we have been about and we are where we are because of everyone's dedication to team goals.”
Sophomore guard Erika Eisenhut was named to the All-Conference First Team while junior guard Melissa Marra and junior forward Katlyn Cunningham earned Second Team selections. Eisenhut and Marra earned the UCAA's “Rookie of the Year” awards in 2002 and 2003, respectively.
On the men's side, sophomore guard John Cagianello, last year's UCAA “Rookie of the Year”, was named to the First Team while forwards, junior Devon Bruce and sophomore Brian Scordato earned honorable mention selections. (please click here for the complete team)
This weekend's tournament features Union against No. 4 William Smith (8-6 // 13-11) Friday at 8 p.m. with No. 2 St. Lawrence (11-3 // 20-5) meeting No. 3 Rensselaer (11-3 // 19-5) at 6 p.m.. The championship will be held Saturday at 4 p.m. There is no admission.
The Dutchwomen swept both William Smith, 67-62, and 64-33 in Memorial Fieldhouse, and Rensselaer, 63-53 at home and 67-63, while splitting with St. Lawrence, 68-61 at home, and 56-45.
The Dutchwomen finished the regular-season leading in six of the UCAA's 19 conference team statistics including: scoring defense (47.6), three-point field goal percentage (.353), rebounding defense (32.8), steals (12.86), turnover margin (4.79) and three-point field goals made (4.64). Individually, senior point guard Taryn Scinto leads the conference with her free throw percentage of .886 (31 of 35) and is second to teammate Marra in three-point field goal percentage at .442 (15 of 34). Marra goes into the weekend with a percentage of .524 (11 of 21). Eisenhut tops the circuit with her 55 steals, an average of 3.93.
St. Lawrence comes into the weekend as the two-year defending champions and the Saints have won three of the four titles. Rensselaer won the 2001 crown by beating St. Lawrence, and William Smith was in the tournament championship game in 2000 and again in 2002.
UCAA Women's All-Conference Team
2004 UCAA Coaching Staff of the Year
Mary Ellen Burt & Jamie Seward Union
2004 UCAA Co-Player of the Year
Aliza Bogdanich St. Lawrence, Senior Forward (Lyme, New Hampshire)
Kaitlyn Saunders Rensselaer, Junior Forward (Windsor, Connecticut)
2004 UCAA Rookie of the Year
Anne Hellebush William Smith, Guard (Pittsford, New York)
2004 UCAA All-Conference First Team
| F | Aliza Bogdanich | St. Lawrence | SR | Lyme, NY |
| G | Erika Eisenhut | Union | SO | Mohawk, NY |
| F | Holly Erick | Hamilton | SR | Portland, NY |
| G | Kristin Kaczynski | Rensselaer | SR | Pleasant Valley, CT |
| F | Kaitlyn Saunders | Rensselaer | JR | Windsor, CT |
2004 UCAA All-Conference Second Team
| F | Katlyn Cunningham | Union | JR | Clarksburg, MA |
| G | Anne Hellebush | Wm Sm | FR | Pittsford, NY |
| G | Melissa Marra | Union | JR | Mechanicville, NY |
| F | Meredith McGair | Vassar | SO | Cranston, RI |
| F | Caitlin Vestal | Rensselaer | SR | Harvard, MA |
Honorable Mention:
- Linda Fernandez G (Clarkson),
- Jessica Gorman G (Hamilton),
- Meredith Pridgen F (St. Lawrence),
- Ashley Rodger F (William Smith)
UCAA Men's All-Conference Team
2004 UCAA Player of the Year
Joe Smith Hamilton, Senior Forward (Sherrill, New York)
2004 UCAA Co-Rookie of the Year
Nick Jones Clarkson, Forward (Washington, D.C.)
Tsakane Ngobeni Hamilton, Forward (Soweto, South Africa)
2004 UCAA Coaching Staff of the Year
Tom Murphy Hamilton
2004 UCAA All-Conference First Team
| G | John Cagianello | Union | SO | Wethersfield, CT |
| G | Josh Harner | Clarkson | SR | Houston, TX |
| F | Jared Hite | Rensselaer | SR | Dorchester, MA |
| F | Aaron Marshall | St. Lawrence | JR | Buffalo, NY |
| F | Joe Smith | Hamilton | SR | Sherill, NY |
2004 UCAA All-Conference Second Team
| F | Nick Jones | Clarkson | FR | Washington, DC |
| G | Greg Leone | Hamilton | SR | Syracuse, NY |
| G | Dana Martin | Skidmore | JR | Stowe, VT |
| G | Paris Moore | Rensselaer | JR | Hempstead, NY |
| F | Tsakane Ngobeni | Hamilton | FR | Soweto, South Africa |
| G | Ahmad Toussaint | St. Lawrence | SR | Teaneck, NJ |
Honorable Mention:
- Brian Scordato F (Union),
- Devon Bruce F (Union),
- Kevin Williams G (Clarkson)