fall 2003 - The University of Scranton

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S C R A N T O N AT H L E T I CS Ice Hockey The return of 17 lettermen should further enhance the Ice Royals’ reputation in the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association this year. For Scranton to move into the upper echelon of the league may depend on how well junior goalie Curt Butcher returns from a broken ankle that forced him to miss the final 15 games of last season. He will, however, need some help. Veteran head coach Bill Fitzgerald is counting on veteran defensemen Chris Breary, Tim Connolly and Mike Bonagura, along with newcomers Ryan Lucas and Dan Stallone, to keep the puck away from Butcher. Of f e n s i ve l y, Fitzgerald feels the Ice Royals shouldn’t have too many problems scoring goals. His anticipated first line of forw a rds Rob Loderstedt, Jon Eaton and Tim Po l c a ri combined for 43 goals and 64 assists last season, while the second line will be bolstere d by senior Kyle Eaton, who needs only seven points to m ove ahead of Mike Su l l i va n (142 total points, 1998-2001) as the all-time leading scorer in Scranton history. Junior goalie Curt Butcher will re t u rn to the Ice Royals’ lineup after missing 15 games a year ago with a broken ankle. Men’s Basketball If Brian O’Do n n e l l a n d Ryan Ro g a n we re actors, their p e rformances for the Roy a l s over the last two seasons would be considered worthy of an Os c a r. In their supporting ro l e s of powe r, forw a rd and guard , re s p e c t i ve l y, the pair blended in p e rfectly with a talented nucleus that culminated in one of the more memorable seasons in p ro g r a m’s storied history last w i n t e r. The Royals put the finishing touch on a 24-6 ove r a l l re c o rd by earning its 19th bid to the NCAA Division III championships, where Scranton advanced to the Sweet 16 in Carl Da n z i g’s second season as head coach. Junior guard Ryan Rogan is expected to take a leadership role as the Royals defend their Freedom Conference title this year. O ’ Donnell and Rogan will find themselves thrust into limelight, now that they are the lone returning starters on a talented, but inexperienced ro s t e r. Both appear to be up to the task. O’Donnell established himself as one of the top allround players in the Fre e d o m C o n f e rence by finishing in the top 15 in seven of the league’s statistical categories. Ro g a n w o rked hard on developing the other aspects of his game and finished the year by being ranked in four Fre e d o m C o n f e rence statistical categories. Danzig’s biggest challenge, however, lies in finding a supporting cast to fill in the gap created by the loss of three starters to graduation. Freshman Mike Kreuter, a 6- 7, 255-pound center, has the size and strength to give O’Donnell much-needed help down low, while red-shirt freshman Victor Agapay, a 6- 9 shot blocker, will look to bounce back from a knee injury and is expected to compete for a starting role as well. Depending on game situations, Danzig can utilize 6-7 sophomore Bill Burke, a scoring threat whose size will provide match-up problems for opposing teams at small forward, or he can go with incoming freshmen Justin Freid and Patrick Clabby. If Danzig needs to go with a three-guard rotation, freshman Mike McGowan, a sharpshooting outside scoring threat, may get the nod to start opposite Rogan and either sophomore Nick Alfier or freshman Sean Clark at the other guard position. Sophomores Matt Snyder and Thomas Gangemi and junior Matt Duardo will battle for playing time behind Alfier and Clark, while sophomore Mike Riccobono’s development will allow Danzig to give Rogan a breather at times throughout the year. With only two players returning who have seen significant playing time, the Royals will need to grow up in a hurry. The schedule includes four teams that won at least 20 games last year, not to mention six others that had winning records. Swimming The men’s and women’s swim teams have established a level of consistency among the elite programs in the Middle Atlantic Conference during Tomm Evans’ six-year tenure as head coach. The upcoming 2003-2004 season promises to be no exception. The Royal men welcome back four swimmers who placed in the top-six in four events at the 2003 MAC championships, where Scranton finished fourth overall with 273 points, its highest point total ever. Junior Brendan Connors has plenty of incentive. He is looking to become the second male swimmer in Royals history to capture a conference title after finishing second in the 200-yard butterfly at the MAC championships in each of the last two years. Seniors Brian McKenzie and Joseph Mulhall and sophomore Dan Lavin will provide leadership and experience in a number of events and are expected to be key performers on the medley and freestyle relay teams. The Royal women, who have finished third at the Senior Allyson Jengo finished in the top-six in two events at the 2003 Middle Atlantic Conference championships as the Royals placed third for the third consecutive season. 1 0 T H E S C R A N T O N J O U R N A L
conference meet in each of the last three seasons, will rely on seniors Kristen Best, Jayme Smith and Allyson Jengo, each of whom placed in the top-six in two events at the 2003 MAC championships and who hold a combined five Royal individual records. Women’s Basketball Seniors Kate Pierangeli and Katie Dougherty highlight the return of 12 letterwinners who will be out to lead the Lady Royals to their first Freedom Conference championship since 2002. Senior guard Kate Pierangeli enters the upcoming season 70 points shy of becoming the 20th player in Lady Royals history to score 1000 career points. Pierangeli led Scranton in four statistical categories on her way to earning first-team all-league honors for the second straight year and firstteam all-Mid-Atlantic region by D3hoops.com. Dougherty, blessed with speed and quickness, has been the perfect complement to Pierangeli. The duo thrive in Strong’s uptempo style of play, and their ability to put pressure on the basketball was a major reason why Scranton averaged nearly 16 steals a game last season. Strong has plenty of other options in the back court. He can call on long-distance shooting specialist and senior Judy Flounders when he needs to stretch a zone defense. When Pierangeli and Dougherty need a rest, Strong can rely on sophomores Amanda Natale, Erin Healy, Kelly Lewandowski and Susan Welch, junior Megan McMurdo, and freshman Allison Matt. As talented as the Lady Royals appear to be in the back court, it’s the small forward position that could turn out to be Scranton’s strongest suit. Junior Tara Gemmel and freshman Taryn Mellody both possess excellent all-around skills and should prevent opponents from concentrating solely on stopping Pierangeli and Dougherty. Gemmel started all 28 games last season and averaged 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while Mellody comes into the program with an impressive high school resume, which includes earning Associated Press all-state honors twice at nearby Bishop O’Hara High School. Even though the Lady Royals lost only two players to graduation, both losses came at the powerful forward position. Junior Maura Kane appears to be the leading candidate to take over after appearing in 53 games as a key reserve the past two seasons. Strong can also utilize Gemmel, Mellody and Lewandowski in a number of different rotations when Kane needs assistance. Two-year starter Eileen Webster will once again hold down the center duties, where she will be called upon to provide a defensive presence and to help ease the rebounding burden on Kane. Sophomore Kate Krenz and freshman Tessa Kelley will see action as back-ups to Webster throughout the season. The Lady Royals’ challenging 25-game schedule includes six teams that won at least 20 games a year ago. Scranton will also play 15 road games in its attempt to reach the 20- win plateau for the 13th consecutive year. Wrestling To judge Brett Owen's impact on the Royals’ wrestling program in his first season as head coach solely on wins and losses would be short-sighted. His knowledge of the sport resulted in a number of significant accomplishments that the t e a m’s 5-13 re c o rd didn't tru l y reflect. His work with Da r re n Buseman resulted in the 157- pounder becoming only the second wrestler in Scranton h i s t o ry to garner all-American honors at the NCAA Di v i s i o n Senior Ron Saglimbene capped off a solid 2003 season by finishing third in the 174-pound weight class at the Middle Atlantic Conference championships. III championships. Other wrestlers who benefited from Owen’s hard work include senior Ron Saglimbene, who posted a c a reer-best 22-12 re c o rd; senior Tim Grover, who won a career-best 15 matches; junior Tim Simansky, who moved up to 149 pounds last year and won 24 matches; junior Mike Kelly, who doubled his win output from the previous season; senior Jose Valdez, who posted his first winning season at 165; and sophomore Trevor Needham, who battled his way to 13 wins at 197. A number of challenges await Owen during the upcoming 2003-2004 season. In addition to the loss of Buseman, he must deve l o p f reshmen C h ris Rosett, Do n e l l Young and Jonathan Ma rze l l a , each of whom are expected to see considerable action in the l ower weight classes. In the middle tier of the l i n e u p, Simansky will be a mainstay at 149, with re l i e f help being providing by ve t e r- an Tom Ph i l l i p s, while Grove r is expected to battle newc o m e r s Jonathan Klinger and Ke v i n By rn e for Bu s e m a n’s spot at 157. Va l d ez and Sa g l i m b e n e h a ve been penciled in as s t a rters at 165 and 174, re s p e c- t i ve l y, with veterans Ry a n Bennett and Tom D’Alessio seeing action as key re s e rves. The return of A.J. Ca p rio t o the lineup at 197 after a thre e - year absence will allow Owe n to move Needham back to 184, a more natural weight class for him. Freshman Pat Be t t e rt o n will back-up Needham while s o p h o m o re Matt Butler will do the same for Caprio at times t h roughout the season. Ke l l y and junior Vince Re a l m u t o will be featured at the 285- pound weight class. The focus of the season will be the Middle Atlantic Conference championships, which Scranton will host on Friday and Saturday, February 20-21, at the John J. Long, S.J., Center. F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 0 3 1 1
Page 1 and 2: FA L L/ WI N T E R 2 0 0 3 TH E SC
Page 3 and 4: S CR ANTO N J O U R N A L INSIDE FA
Page 5 and 6: CONFERENCES & LECTURES Leading Econ
Page 7 and 8: Mary Elizabeth (Betsey) Moylan ’9
Page 9: SUPPORT FOR SCRANTON MetLife Suppor
Page 13 and 14: A CELEBRATION OF “THIS MIRACLE IN
Page 15 and 16: “May Father Pilarz bring to his t
Page 17 and 18: “A PLACE OF STARTS” Excerpts fr
Page 19 and 20: T H E A LU M N I 49 James McAndrews
Page 21 and 22: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Nominations ar
Page 23 and 24: Football Forever The bonds created
Page 25 and 26: A son, Salvatore Anthony, to Mario

fall 2003 - The University of Scranton

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