July 28, 2003
Progression was the name of the game throughout the 2002-2003 athletic campaign at Siena College as the majority of sports programs made great strides in their quest for conference supremacy.
National tournament appearances again served as year-end rewards for Siena's flagship sport, as the men's and women's basketball teams each made their fourth postseason trip in the last five years. The women's team earned a share of the regular-season crown and boasted the MAAC Player of the Year for the third straight season as junior Liene Jansone upended teammate and countrymate Gunta Basko to take home the conference's top honor. The Saints went on to earn a WNIT bid, where they defeated Seton Hall of the Big East on their home floor before falling to Creighton in the Second Round.
The men's basketball team was also recompensed with a NIT bid after amassing a surprising 19 wins by the end of the MAAC Tournament. Riding the momentum of their successful regular-season (in which they defeated the likes of Big East foe Providence) and the consistent play of First Team All-MAAC selection Prosper Karangwa and All-MAAC rookie pick Michael Haddix (who set the school's freshman scoring record and pulled down more rebounds than any Siena player had in a decade), Siena cruised past Villanova and Western Michigan before jubilant Pepsi Arena crowds in their first two NIT games before dropping a hard-fought decision to UAB in the Round of 16.
The soccer programs led the way in the fall semester as each qualified for the four-team MAAC Championships. Women's Soccer Coach Steve Karbowski was selected MAAC Coach of the Year for the second time in the past three seasons as the Saints rebounded from a slow start to go 5-3-1 in the MAAC to earn a shot to play for the NCAA bid. The men's soccer team dropped just two conference games and earned key wins over Marist and Fairfield in the final week of the season to gain a spot in the Tournament for the second straight season.
Siena's women's cross country team continued its ascension on the MAAC ladder, racing to a third place finish in the 10-team MAAC as junior sister act Kim and Michelle Milton each placed in the top-5 individually at the meet.
The upstart women's swimming and diving program again turned one of the more surprising efforts, capturing second place in the MAAC in just its fourth season of competition. The Saints carried the lead into the final day of competition led by senior Kelly Pangburn's three event championships. Several freshman swimmers also scored well in the meet lending optimism to the future of the already-successful team. The women's water polo team notched its first victory in just its second year of existence and freshman Shanna Allen (the program's initial recruit) was selected to the All-MAAC team.
Spring brought more breakthroughs, as the Siena softball team won six of its final seven games over a crucial four-day stretch to qualify for the MAAC Championships for the first time. Junior Carrie Getz was a First Team All-MAAC pick and Second Team All-Region selection after finishing eighth nationally (top in the Northeast) with a .462 batting average.
Senior standout Nikki Mayer paced the best finish ever for the women's tennis program as the Saints lost to Niagara in a thrilling MAAC Championship match. With five of six starters returning (all but Mayer), the Saints again figure to be battling for the league title this coming spring.
The women's golf team battled back from a first day deficit to capture its third straight conference championship at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. It marked the lone outright championship for the Saints this past year, though several have their sights pinned on echoing Coach Wenzel's success in the near future. The young men's golf team is a program with such aspirations following a third place finish this past season. Freshman Robby Bigley figures to lead the way after landing in fourth place in the individual standings.
Other programs showed great promise, and are poised for breakout seasons. Among them is the ever-improving Siena football program, which tripled its win total last fall, and the Siena field hockey team, which returns all but two starters after equaling a team record for victories. Some of Siena's tradition-rich programs reloaded during the 2002-2003 season as the volleyball and baseball teams experienced some growing pains after key losses to graduation. With first year full-time Head Coach Garvey Pierre in place to guide the Saints' spikers and First Team All-MAAC pitcher Ryan Bitter returning for the Siena nine, both teams figure to bounce back this year.
The 2002-2003 season may ultimately be looked back upon as the one in which Siena athletics began to turn the corner. For perhaps the first time, the improvements made by most of the 19 sports teams were readily reflected in wins and losses along with conference placement. More impressive, these accomplishments (including a fourth place finish in the MAAC Commissioners Cup) were made without the sacrifice of the fundamental objectives of the department. Siena's student-athletes carried a 2.95 grade point average this past year. A record 73 student-athletes were placed on the MAAC honor roll and the college ranked 12th nationally among all Division I schools with an 87% graduation rate.
Success is defined in many ways, and this past season, Siena's student-athletes provided many of those definitions.
