June 17, 2005

The Siena women's lacrosse team set a program record for victories.

So did the softball team...

And the water polo team.

First-year men's lacrosse coach Brian Brecht was named MAAC Coach of the Year.

As was golf coach Tom Wronowski...

Water polo coach Rob Swingle...

And baseball coach Tony Rossi.

Sophomore golfer Bryan Bigley won the McLeod Award, presented to the lowest scoring individual at the MAAC Golf Championships in Orlando.

Freshman Melissa Agostinelli took home the women's top honor.

The baseball team rode the left arm of junior John Lannan (10-2; 2.29 ERA) to a 19-5 conference record and its first MAAC Tournament appearance since 2002.

Sophomore Christina Pampalone scored a school-record 50 goals and was named First Team All-MAAC and selected to the All-Tournament Team after helping the women's lacrosse team to its first MAAC Championship game in program history.

Softball standout Sarah Rose was named First Team Northeast Region after batting .407 and establishing school records for homeruns (22) and RBI (118) in a career.

Shanna Allen was named MAAC Water Polo Offensive Player of the Year and teammate Caitlin Smith took home Rookie of the Year honors.

And the women's golf team won its fifth consecutive MAAC Championship.

Whew.

Needless to say, it was quite a spring for the Green and Gold.

As darkness fell at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, Niagara shortstop Andrew MacDonald dove to his right, stopping a hot shot off the bat of freshman Chris Klepps, and fired on to second to get the lead runner. The play ended the Saints' overachieving baseball season, and in so doing marked the completion of the 2004-2005 athletic year.

Head coach Tony Rossi started six freshmen in the final game of the season. All nine starters return next year. The Saints relied heavily on a rookie infield all year, and still enjoyed one of their top MAAC regular seasons since joining the conference in 1990. It marked the continuation of two encouraging trends.

Siena's spring sports teams enjoyed record-breaking success. And the underclassmen showed the way.

As the College continues to enhance its commitment to the broad-based development of each of its 18 Division I sports, the benefits are starting to show through on the playing fields.

Athletic scholarship increases have been complimented by the addition of several full-time coaches, and planned facility enhancements figure to provide the athletic department with all the resources necessary to excel at the Division I level. Recruiting is now national in all of Siena's sports. Coaches are scouring the country, and in some cases beyond, to find elite student athletes who can help lead Siena's programs to the next level. The department embarks on this transition while keeping the ideals set forth by the founding Franciscans and outlined in the College constitution, those encouraging total personal development, at the forefront of its mission.

The goal is to win. But most important, to win the right way.

Academic achievements and community involvement continue to highlight the successes of Siena's student athletes. The spring of 2005, however, provided more than its share of on-field accomplishments.

Bigley's three-day total of 211 was an all-time MAAC Tournament low. He helped the young Saints to a second place finish in the nine-team MAAC. Lannan, a junior who will likely join the six Siena players playing professional baseball later this summer, was a perfect 8-0 in the MAAC and pitched a five-hit shutout in Siena's MAAC Tournament victory over Manhattan.

Pampalone is one of 18 sophomores and freshmen on the Saints' 22-person roster. The future looks bright.

Very bright.

The men's lacrosse program is in good hands, as Brecht welcomes in the program's most heralded recruiting class ever this fall. Junior-to-be Matt Walsh has scored 56 goals in his two seasons with the program. He was a Second Team All-MAAC selection this spring.

Siena's newest sport, women's water polo hits the water next year with lofty expectations after a breakthrough season in Swingle's first year at the helm.

Women's golf will compete for its sixth straight conference title next season, and the women tennis team is stacked with talent ranging from Latham to Slovakia.

The foundation is in place and the stage has been set. Now its time to set back and see what Siena's student athletes have in store for an encore.

It looks like it will be a show worth watching.
~Jason Rich, sports information director