Softball team ends season at Empire 8 tournament

Softball (27-14, 7-5 Empire 8): The softball team finished the 2012 season with a third-place finish at the Empire 8 Conference championship tournament, played over the weekend at Ithaca College.

The fourth-seeded Saxons opened the double-elimination with a 6-2 loss to to-seeded Ithaca, which moved AU into the loser’s bracket, where they eliminated third-seeded Stevens with a 5-4 win. Alfred was then eliminated from the tournament with an 11-1 loss to second-seeded St. John Fisher.

Against Ithaca, things looked promising for the Saxons after senior shortstop Nicole Hedrick (Albany, NY/Catholic Central) led off the game with a single, was sacrificed to second, and scored on a single by sophomore centerfielder Breeal Delgado (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Los Osos), who advanced to second on the throw home. Delgado scored on a single by senior leftfielder Angela Netta (Rahway, NJ/Mother Seton Regional) and ensuing throwing error and Alfred was up 2-0. The lead may have been greater, but Netta was doubled off first on a fly-out to rightfield to end the inning.

Ithaca would hold the Saxons scoreless over the final 4 2/3 innings while scoring six runs to advance. AU freshman starter Jessica O’Sullivan (Groton, MA/Groton Dunstable Regional) took the pitching loss for Alfred, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits while walking four and striking out two in 4 1/3 innings. Freshman Samantha Jo Muller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis) went 1 2/3 innings in relief and allowed one earned run on two hits.

Against Stevens, AU scored in the top of the seventh inning to break a tie and earn a 5-4 win and eliminate the Ducks, who just a week earlier had swept a doubleheader from the homestanding Saxons.

With the score tied 4-4, AU sophomore outfielder Rachel Guszick (Sparrowbush, NY/Port Jervis) was hit by a pitch leading off the top of the seventh and advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored when Netta reached on an error. O’Sullivan, who tossed 2 1/3 innings of one-hit scoreless relief, induced three straight groundouts in the bottom of the inning to secure the win and improve to 10-6 on the year.

Alfred scored two in the first inning and added single runs in the third and fifth to take a 4-1 lead. In the opening frame, sophomore third baseman Jessica Warner (Runnemede, NJ/Triton) drove in a run with a base-loaded sacrifice fly before Delgado, who had singled earlier, scored from second after consecutive wild pitches. With AU leading by three, Stevens tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. All three Duck runs against Muller came with two outs. After Stevens tied the game,. O’Sullivan relieved Muller and ended the inning on a flyout. Muller allowed four earned runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Both teams went scoreless in the sixth, setting the stage for the late game heroics from Alfred’s Guszick, who finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Junior catcher Hana Gross (Unin, NJ/Union) (base hit) and Warner each had RBIs; Delgado and sophomore Stephanie Arguello (Placentia, CA/Vista del Lago) each had a hit and scored; and freshman outfielder Alyson Hampton (Oxnard, CA/Oxnard) was 2-for-3 with a stolen base.

Against Fisher, AU fell behind early before knotting the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double Netta that scored Hampton. Fisher went back ahead with four runs in the top of the fifth to make it 5-1, then pulled away with six more in the top of the seventh.

Hampton finished with two hits in two at-bats for Alfred, which finishes the season with a 27-14 record. Sophomore shortstop Melissa Montano (West Covina, CA/Walnut) had a base hit. Hedrick took the pitching loss for AU, allowing five earned runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. Three relievers combined to allow six runs (three earned) on three hits.

Last Week: L, 6-2, vs. Ithaca (5/4 at Empire 8 Tournament); W, 5-4, vs. Stevens (5/4 at Empire 8 Tournament); L, 11-1, vs. St. John Fisher (5/5 at Empire 8 Tournament)
This Week: Season Over



Men’s tennis team wraps up season with shutout of Keuka

Men’s Tennis (11-7, 3-4 Empire 8): The men’s tennis team wrapped up its 2012 season with a 9-0 shutout victory of host Keuka College. AU won all six singles matches and all three doubles matches to finish the season with an 11-7 record.

The Saxons got singles wins from senior Nick Schneider (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), 8-1 in first singles; senior Nathan Garletts (Havertown, PA/Haverford), 8-2 in second singles; senior Nate Kucko (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks), 8-0 in third singles; junior Stefan Nonnenmann (New Providence, NJ/New Providence), 8-0 in fourth singles; sophomore Peter Benoit (Gasport, NY/Barker), 8-0 in fifth singles; and sophomore Eric Teller (Granville, NY/Granville), 8-0 in sixth singles.

Schneider and Nonnenmann won first doubles, 8-2; Garletts and Kucko won second doubles, 8-0; and Benoit and Teller took third doubles, 8-0.

Last Week: W, 9-0, at Keuka (4/30)
This Week:  Season Over



Outdoor track teams compete at New York State Championships

Outdoor Track: The men’s and women’s track and field teams competed over the weekend at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference outdoor championships, hosted by the University of Rochester. The AU men finished in eighth place, while the Alfred women placed seventh.

Senior Rich Scott (Eden, NY/Eden) was a double winner for the AU men’s team on Saturday, taking first in the 400-meter dash (48.64 seconds) and 200-meter dash (21.85 seconds). Scott also teamed with senior Randy Brito (New York, NY/Cardinal Hates), sophomore Nolan Rummel and junior Jeremy Weaver (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Catholic) to take second in the 4X400-meter relay (3:21.08).

Also scoring points for the AU men Saturday were: Brito, fifth in the 400-meter hurdles (56.40 seconds); sophomore Jason Osborne (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and freshman Lucas Marshall (Windsor, NY/Windsor), third (13.52 meters) and seventh (12.46 meters), respectively, in the shot put; and sophomore Isaiah Cassin (Candor, NY/Candor), fifth in the high jump (1.93 meters). Junior Chris Lopez (Rochester, NY/Pittsford Sutherland), Scott, freshman Tyler Robinson (Lockport, NY/Lockport) and junior Andre McCloud (Bath, NY/Haverling) were eighth in the 4X100-meter relay.

Freshman Miasia Hillman (Buffalo, NY/Hutch Tech) paced the AU women Saturday with a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter dash (12.85 seconds). She and junior Jordyn Larkins (Rochester, NY/Harley-Allendale-Columbia), sophomore Corine Pettit (Strykersville, NY/Holland) and freshman Patricia Banahene (Rochester, NY/Brighton) took third in the 4X100-meter relay (50.51 seconds).

Sophomore Chelsea Hall (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) was fifth in the 100-meter hurdles (15.82 seconds); Graudons was sixth on the high jump (1.53 meters); and Larkins took eighth in the 100-meter dash (13.09 seconds).

On Friday, Graudons led the Saxons women by successfully defended her state title in the pole vault with a winning vault of 3.40 meters. Also scoring points for the Saxon women Friday was 4X800-meter relay team of senior Elisabeth Phillips-Jones (Watertown, MA/Watertown), Hall, junior Amy Morrissey (Hornell, NY/Hornell) and freshman Tracie Forrester (Gainesville, NY/Letchworth), who took seventh in 9:56.18.

Scoring points for the AU men’s team Friday was the 4X800-meter relay team of Brito, sophomore Eddie Potter, freshman Sean Locker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post West) and Rummel, which took seventh on 8:10.78.

As part of the state meet, the men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon were held earlier in the week (April 29 and 30).

Alfred junior Shane Stadtmueller (Red Creek, NY/Red Creek) took fifth in the men’s decathlon with 5,350 points. He posted the following results in five events Sunday: 100-meter dash (12.10 seconds); long jump (5.71 meters); shot put (11.14 meters, tops among the 14 competitors); high jump (1.75 meters); and 400-meter run (53.45 seconds). In Monday’s events, he posted the following scores: 110-meter hurdles (19.27 seconds); discus throw (28.45 meters); pole vault (3.35 meters); javelin throw (37.07 meters); and 1,500-meter run (4:36.06, second among all competitors).

Hall placed fourth in the women’s heptathlon with a school-record 3,593 points. She posted the following scores in three events on Sunday: 4.72 meters in the long jump; 21.78 meters in the javelin throw; and 233.47 in the 800-meter run. She posted the following scores in Monday: 16.05 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles (tops among the 12 competitors); 1.37 meters in the high jump; 6.92 meters in the shot put; and 28.18 seconds in the 200-meter dash.

Last Week: Men, 8th place, Women, 7th place, at New York State outdoor championships (5/4-5)
This Week: at Allegheny College (5/11)



Equestrian team seventh at Western Nationals

Equestrian: The equestrian team ended its 2011-12 season by placing seventh at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Championships, held Wednesday-Saturday, May 3-6 in Raleigh, NC.

AU was one of nine teams competing at the IHSA nationals. In the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) High Point Rider competition,

Senior Kalcy O’Keefe (Rochester, NY/Penfield) placed 17th out of 24 riders riding in the Open division. O’Keefe had qualified for the individual competition by being the high point rider in IHSA Zone II, Region I for the 12011-12 season.

In the team competition, AU was led by O’Keefe’s third-place finish in open reining and a fourth place in intermediate horsemanship from freshman Erika Miller (Wyoming, NY/Perry).

Also riding for AU in the team competition were: freshman Alexandria Buckheit (Mansfield, PA/Mansfield), ninth in open horsemanship; freshman Casey Duncan (Stuarts Draft, VA/Stuarts Draft), seventh in advanced horsemanship; sophomore Derek Partridge (Groveland, NY/Geneseo), eighth in novice horsemanship; and sophomore Nicole Mekker (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), ninth in beginner horsemanship.

Last Week: 7th place, at IHSA Western National Championships, in Raleigh, NC (5/3-6)
This Week: Season Over



Brito, Hall named Saxons’ Athletes of the Week

Randy Brito: The senior New York, NY, placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles (56.40 seconds) and ran on a pair of relays that scored points at the New York State men’s outdoor track and field championships. He ran on the 4X400-meter relay team that took second (3:21.08) and the 4X800-meter relay team that took seventh (8:10.78).

Chelsea Hall: The sophomore from Grand Island, NY, set a new school record in the heptathlon at the New York State championships. Her score in the seven events was 3,593 points, which broke the former school mark of 3,408 points set in 2007 by KC Northup. Hall also took fifth in the 100-meter hurdles (15.82 seconds).