McFan

Gerad Burns, Indoor Track.

This is a steal for Albany.

1:51.6 is unreal. I hope he is fully committed. Other schools will come knocking on his door now.

Also belated congrats to Coach Vives on this well deserved award.

A great coach and a better person.

JUNIOR BURNETT SETS 100m MARK, AS FOUR ATHLETES QUALIFY FOR IC4A & ECAC FINALS

Princeton, N.J. – University at Albany's Junior Burnett qualified for the 100-meter dash final in a school-record time of 10.60 seconds at the IC4A Track & Field Championships on Saturday, May 13 at William Weaver Stadium. In the ECAC meet, Jessica Ortman and Jenna Ortman set school marks in the 800- and 1,500-meter runs, respectively, to advance to Sunday's championship races.

Burnett turned in the second-best time in the 100-meter preliminary round. He also helped the 4x100-meter relay reach the finals with another UAlbany record of 40.86 seconds. Pat Weider, Joe Greene and Jesse Bennett joined Burnett on the relay. Greene, a freshman, posted Saturday's best qualifying time in the 400m-hurdles as he was clocked in 51.68.

Jessica Ortman eclipsed her own school standard in the 800m with a time of 2:08.96, the best showing in the preliminaries. She previously ran 2:10.24 at the Duke Invitational in early April. Jenna Ortman shattered a nine-year-old record in the 1,500m by hitting the tape in 4:29.37. UAlbany Athletic Hall of Famer Tonya Dodge established the previous record of 4:30.93 in 1997.

Other UAlbany athletes will be in action on Sunday, as Alyssa Lotmore competes in the ECAC 3,000-meter final. Marc Pallozzi and Justin Collishaw are entered in the IC4A javelin throw.

UALBANY MEN AND WOMEN ARE AMERICA EAST TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONS

Durham, N.H. - Joe Greene won two individual titles and was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer and Rookie of the Year as the UAlbany men were named the America East Conference champions on Sunday, May 7 at New Hampshire's Reggie F. Atkins Track Facility. The Great Danes earned their second consecutive title and third in the last four years with 199.5 points. The UAlbany women were also crowned champions as they took home their first-ever America East team title, finishing with a best-ever 180 points.

Greene became the first male to post winning performances in both the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles at an America East championship. He is also the first Great Dane to win multiple individual titles at an outdoor championship since Teresa Covert took the 100m dash and hurdles in 2004. Greene was clocked in 47.53 seconds in the 400m dash, while covering the hurdles in 51.59 seconds, only nine-hundredths of a second off the school record.

Junior Burnett won the 200m dash and turned in a second-place showing in the 100m dash, setting UAlbany standards in both events. He captured the 200m title in 21.24 seconds and was followed by freshman Pat Weider, who crossed the line in 21.37. Burnett shaved 46-hundredths of a second off the previous school record in the event. He also covered the 100m dash in 10.64 seconds, with Weider following in third and clocking in at 10.81.

Greene and Burnett also teamed up to lead the men's 4x400m relay to a win in 3:10.86. Greene ran a 46.1 anchor split, while Burnett had a 46.6 split in the second slot. Jerry Wilson and Stephen Evans also contributed to the relay win.

Ray Gilman rounded out UAlbany individual men's winners with a first-place triple jump of 48-feet, 7.25-inches. That leap, which was more than one foot better than his nearest competitor, was Gilman's best of the year.

Freddie Wills was named the Field Performer of the Year, posting top-three finishes in three jumping events. Wills followed up his win in the long jump and third-place finish in the high jump on Saturday with a second-place showing in the triple jump in the meet's final day. Wills, who leaped 47-1.75 in that event, also took home the Coaches Award, given to the athlete who scores the most points for his team.

The Great Danes edged New Hampshire, which followed closely behind with 195.33 points in the two-day competition. Binghamton (129.5), UMBC (101.33) and Boston U. (95) rounded out the top five.

The UAlbany women were led by Jessica Ortman, who won the 1500-meter run in 4:36.78. Her twin sister Jenna finished second in the event, crossing the line in 4:38.80. Jessica and Jenna also posted third- and fourth-place finishes, respectively, in the 800m run.

Jessica Ortman, who set a school record in the 3,000m steeplechase on Saturday, also ran a 2:13.1 anchor split to lead the women's 4x800m relay to a victory. Danielle Trimpop and Adanna Andrews ran the first two legs, while Jenna Ortman was third with a 2:14.6 split.

Freshmen Kamilah McShine and Ritshell Verdier also turned in top performances for the Great Danes. McShine captured the 100m hurdles in 14.13 seconds, plus finished third in the heptathlon with 4,128 points. Verdier shattered the school record in winning the discus with a throw of 157-8. She posted a win margin of better than 30 feet and eclipsed her own UAlbany standard by nearly 19 feet.

The women, who finished fifth last year and were in third place after the first day of competition, finished 13.5 points ahead of Boston U. New Hampshire (121.5), UMBC (106) and Binghamton (95) followed to complete the top five.

"It was an exciting and tremendous meet," said UAlbany head coach Roberto Vives, whose staff received the women's coaching staff of the year award. "To win three championships in one year is unbelievable. I'm proud of these athletes. Everyone stepped up, and it was a total team effort."

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2006 America East Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship

(The Reggie F. Atkins Track Facility, Durham, N.H.)

Final Results -- TEAM

MEN

1. UAlbany 199.50, 2. New Hampshire 195.33, 3. Binghamton 129.50, 4. UMBC 101.33, 5. Boston U. 95, 6. Maine 66.33, 7. Vermont 35, 8. Stony Brook 18, 9. Hartford 13.

WOMEN

1. UAlbany 180, 2. Boston U. 166.50, 3. New Hampshire 121.50, 4. UMBC 106, 5. Binghamton 95, 6. Vermont 88, 7. Maine 78.50, 8. Stony Brook 17, 9. Hartford 5.50

Full results-Men

http://www.americaeast.com/track/2006/outdoorday2men.htm

Women

http://www.americaeast.com/track/2006/day2women.htm

UALBANY WOMEN'S 4x800 RELAY BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD AT PENN RELAYS

Philadelphia, Pa. - University at Albany's Jenna Ortman ran a personal-best split in the first leg of the women's 4x800-meter relay which set a school record in 8:53.49. The Great Danes shattered the previous mark by nearly 14 seconds in finishing 14th in the event at the 112th Penn Relays, held Saturday, April 29 at Franklin Field.

Ortman, who opened with a 2:11.0 split, teamed with her twin sister Jessica, plus twin sisters Adanna and Anisha Andrews. Adanna covered the second leg in 2:13.7, while Anisha followed with a personal-best 2:17.1 split. Jessica Ortman added an anchor-leg split of 2:11.2. The foursome, who became the first two sets of twins to comprise a relay at the Penn Relays, also established a school record in the distance medley relay on Thursday.

The UAlbany men's 4x400 relay, which ran a school record 3:10.50 on Friday, turned in a fourth-place showing in the IC4A 4x400 competition on Saturday. The relay ran 3:10.80, the second-fastest performance in school history, despite losing leadoff runner Jerry Wilson to a hamstring injury. Junior Burnett and Stephen Evans led off in the first two legs, while freshman Joe Belokopitsky, who took Wilson's place in the relay, ran the third leg. Joe Greene anchored the relay for the second straight day in 46.5 seconds.

Marc Pallozzi finished sixth in the championship men's javelin throw. Pallozzi, who owns UAlbany's record in the event, was the first Great Dane accepted into the championship division at Penn Relays. The junior hurled the javelin 210-feet, 10-inches to meet the NCAA Regional qualifying mark for the third time this season.

Freddie Wills also recorded a top-ten finish, turning in an eighth-place showing in the men's triple jump. The freshman jumped 46-feet, 10-inches, posting one of his top performances as a collegian.

**********

112th Penn Relays - Franklin Field (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Men's IC4A 4x400

1. Seton Hall 3:09.59, 2. Rutgers 3:09.64, 3. Delaware State 3:10.78, 4. UAlbany 3:10.80, 5. Coppin State 3:11.04, 6. Morgan State 3:11.15, 7. Navy 3:11.38.

Men's Championship Javelin Throw

1. Justin Ryncavage (North Carolina) 241-3, 2. Bobby Smith (Monmouth) 238-9, 3. Eric Brown (Arkansas) 227-8, 4. Thomas Jordan (Coastal Carolina) 226-6, 5. Tony Bonura (Pittsburgh) 223-4, 6. Marc Pallozzi (UAlbany) 210-10, 7. Allen Pettner (Penn State) 202-8, 8. Aundrae Clarke (UTech) 183-6.

Men's Eastern Triple Jump

1. Travis Hughes (Harvard) 49-3, 2. Lawrence Adjah (Harvard) 49-1, 3. Dante Marshall (Navy) 48-4, 4. Kimon Evans (Globe) 48-2, 5. Kyle Green (Southern Conn. State) 47-11, 6. Clarence Smith (Penn State) 47-7, 7. Jihad Beachman (Yale) 47-5, 8. Freddie Wills (UAlbany) 46-10, 9. Chris Telesford (Syracuse) 46-6, 10. Steve Ekema-Agbaw (Lafayette) 46-4.

JUSTIN COLLISHAW QUALIFIES FOR IC4A CHAMPIONSHIP AT RPI INVITATIONAL

Troy, N.Y. - Justin Collishaw won the men's javelin throw and qualified for the IC4A Championship at the RPI Invitational, held at Ned Harkness Track & Field on Saturday, April 29. Collishaw was accompanied by five other Great Danes in the winner's circle at the non-team scoring meet.

Collishaw, a senior, finished 24 feet ahead of his nearest competitor with a javelin throw of 194-feet, 3-inches. It is the second straight year he has qualified for IC4As in the event.

Jesse Bennett won the 110-meter hurdles in 15.15 seconds, more than one and half seconds better than the second-place finisher. Bennett also finished second in the 100m dash, crossing the line in 11.46 seconds.

Sophomore Ricardo Estremera won the 3,000m steeplechase in 9:43.16. In the first time competing in the event as a collegian, Estremera posted more than a 30-second win margin. C.J. Ross rounded out the men's winners, earning a first-place showing in the triple jump with a leap of 44-0.5. Ross also recorded a second-place finish in the long jump with a 20-10.5 jump, his best as a collegian.

Heather Angel captured the 400m hurdles title for the women, finishing in a time of 1:08.34, more than six seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. Corinna Hengen won the pole vault with a mark of 10-6, four inches off her school record.

Freshman Sineaid Corley posted a third-place showing in the hammer throw with a mark of 131-10. She set a personal best in the event, improving on her previous mark by more than seven feet.

The Great Danes return to action on May 6-7 at the America East Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship, which will be hosted by the University of New Hampshire.

I usually stay out of these, but you must be kidding. Losing to Kentucky by 4 or UConn by 13. If Kentucky was Kentucky this year that may be the case. If it was in the NCAA tourney it may be the case. If (and they may have) they had a 12 point lead in front of 17K w/ 12 minutes to go. But come on.

Of course in the end a loss is a loss. Iona was very good but inconsistent at times. Loosing to Siena at home proves they weren't great. Loosing at home to Siena also proves that on any given night UA could at a minimum give them a run.

As for the 3 games in 5 days before the UA game, that's legit. But I've been trying to erase the joke of a no call at the end of that game. As for the 20 point lead, UA outscored Siena by, guess how many in the second half? 20, very good. Jamar makes 1 of 3 from the line and its 21 and a UA win. The call wasn't made, so it isn't the case.

I'll also add that if you had those two teams play in March I would have bet anyone any amount of money that UA wins the game. Coulda shoulda woulda. Didn't get it done. They will next year.

I don't know if it will work with Haddix or not, but I know what I'm having for lunch.

I only go back 20 years, but it has to be Jamar Wilson. Always tough to compare era's but by the time he's done he should be AE rookie of the year and 2 time player of the year. I think he's also on pace to be the University's all time leading scorer. And he's just fun to watch. The way he broke down UConn's D showed what a talent he really is.

Sure.

Headline was a little misleading "Brown: Gators score with ease"

In the article it mentions that Brown is 1 of 3 to play both teams. Gives the scores and dates. A number of quotes from Coach Brown. In summary:

He thought that both teams would be contenders next year. "Very very good, but very, very young." He feels they have both improved as the season went on and proved they should be here. Talks up UCLA's D and Florida's O, including 80% free throw shooters.

"Florida's defense and athleticism, combined with their ability to put the ball in the basket will be a little too much for UCLA."

"For UCLA to win" physical, limit 2nd chance, slow tempo.

"X-factor for Florida is Taurean Green"

"For UCLA, I think it's their frontcourt"

The TU does have an article in the print edition. The piece is a breakdown from Coach Brown.

I ran track at Albany in the late 80's and early 90's era and our warmups were black even back then. Purple is a little tough in a track suit on a man.

the thingi think jamar needs to work on is his passing. He can do the jason williams type moves all day, we dont need to question that. The problem i saw was after he made the crazy move, he went to pass, and it went out of bounds, or never connected straight on with his target.

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A somewhat valid criticism. I would add however that Jamar did not have a finishing big man. If he did he would have led the conference in assist too and TO's would have been much lower. Sometimes he needed to recognize the limitations of his big men and not throw those passes, but other times they would scoot right though somebody's hands on a nice delivery.

Let's hope nobody his filling his head w/$$$$ signs.

Can his stock get any higher? Absolutely, and let's hope it does.

He could cut down on TO's (and he did this once off of the point) and be more consistent on his outside shot. Other than that, no not much to improve on his individual game.

Take this team to a 24+ win season and win the AE again. Win a tournament game would also help. No question though his name is now on a lot more radars than it was 1 month ago.

I've always thought he was an exceptional talent. Coach Browns toughest job over the next year is going to be finding a talent in the range of Jamar. The exposure the team has gotten will help, but UA was lucky to get Jamar Wilson.

Me too!

Maybe CBS or ESPN will bring Brown in for insight for the final four.

This is just a guess but if Duell were to come to UA wouldn't he transfer to HVCC next year and then transfer over the following year? That would mean he wouldn't use a scholarship until 07-08 and they could give the remaining one to someone else. Hopefully another midwest player.

 

For the record I'd like having a local player on the roster.

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I too like the idea of a local player on the team. That being said I still think UA has elevated itself above a Vermont role player. Only for one year at this point, but the feeling is this team is headed in the right direction.

I know you can't recruit solely on the RPI or one tournament appearance but take a look at some of the teams around UA on the RPI rankings and ask if they would utilize a sholarship this way? We finished (?) number 119.

Missouri 139

St. John's 137

Texas Tech 136

Fordham 134

UMass 131

Siena 125

Fresno St 124

USC 117

Auburn 116

Georgia 109

Providence 108

Penn St 106 (no tournament and they snagged T. Battle)

Again some of these have a huge conference edge but these are the teams UA needs to compare itself to.

As someone else said if Brown determines its the best use, then it is. Maybe he knows more than us? Impossible.

Wow, those are some astronomical figures for AE head coaches.  I just assumed $200K was the high end.  $350K??.

 

What the heck are my season tickets going to cost next year?

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I suspect there are going to be ALOT more season ticket holders next year (thanks in large part to Will Brown) to help defray that cost.

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Not to mention that we can probably expect a 25-50% raise in prices. Does that sound reasonable?

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Actually 25% would be very reasonable. I think they have to be careful though. If there is a down year, or even a short slump, people in this area have been known to abandon a team. High prices would only assist this process.

Even in the down years, if you are a basketball fan these have been a nice deal.

Wow, those are some astronomical figures for AE head coaches. I just assumed $200K was the high end. $350K??.

What the heck are my season tickets going to cost next year?

You guys are of course free to post what you like. I will ask that you consider the fact that it's not unheard for recruits or potential recruits to read fans message boards. I'd hate to think of a guy considering coming to Albany to read that he's "not wanted" by the fans when we don't know what the coaching staff has in mind.

 

I'm not saying I know anything about this particular sitation. Just asking that you consider it in the future.

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Good point, but if any potential recruit basis even .001% of his decision on what some idiot named "McFan" is posting on a fan message board he may be a bit misguided.

Don't sell Yocum short. He is a legit 6' 8", with good skills and hoop IQ. He played with two all-American guards at Episcopal Academy, and is used to winning against high level competition. I'm not sure whether he will play as a 4 or 5, but he could get meaningful minutes next year.

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Can we keep this up for 8 months?

I didn't sell him "short", I forgot him. Think about that for a minute. Two years ago would we (well me) have forgot, even for a minute, a 6'8" recruit.

personally I dont want anything to do with this Duell kid, I have nothing to back this up with but he seems like a "me first" kind of player and that mentality just does not fly at this school.  Look at the team players we had on this team with Levi and Lucious both taking off the bench roles to help the team this season, the last thing I want and the team needs is a "me first" player!!!

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I don't know about the "me first", but I agree with nothing to do with him. He is good role player. The show this team put on in the AE and NCAA's should allow Coach Brown to bring in someone with star potential, or at a minimum a proven JuCo player.

I guess Connelly is not a true center, but I can see him in the lineup w/Brent against certain AE teams that don't have true centers either. We were the exception in AE this year with a true big (>6'10") center.

Covington's foul trouble may force a number of players to rotate through that position. That said if Gifford (a freshman) is solid he could be the man.

Does anyone know of videos of the game that are for sale or will be for sale?

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Contact alberts11 on the America East forum. He'll sell you a DVD.

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I saw his offer. Has anyone done this and if so, how much did he charge? I was a little skeptical.

Why not?

Lillis

Wilson

Siggers

Wilson

Covington

I think the center spot is the only real question here. In my opinion Siggers has earned a starting spot (at this point) and someone would have to really shine in practice to take it away.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Covington/Connelly/Gifford almost split time at the center.

This weeks cover features players from all of the teams in the tourney (I think). UA's entry is L. Jordan.