College Sports Notebook 1/3/13

Jentzen stays on target at Dominican

Senior forward K.C. Jentzen of Pearl River poured in a game-high 17 points, but the Dominican College women’s basketball team was tripped by Southern Connecticut State College, 59-57, to close out the old year at the Hennessy Center in Orangeburg.

K.C. Jentzen had a game-high 17 points in Dominican College setback

Jentzen, who put the Lady Chargers in front 51-49 with 10 minutes remaining, also contributed seven rebounds and four steals in 34 minutes of action in the non-conference contest.

Nicole Grossbard, a freshman guard, also from Pearl River, played 31 minutes for the visiting Owls (4-5), scoring six points with four assists and two steals.

Bianca Harris of Teaneck, N.J., had 13 points and Lindsey Lopez of Elmwood Park, N.J., had 12 and a game-high five assists in defeat while LaShonda Hathorne of Queens pulled down a game-leading nine rebounds.

The Lady Chargers (6-5) look to bounce back on Jan. 5 when they travel to Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) foe, Wilmington (Del.) University (3-11) while the Owls hope to reach .500 with a 1:30 p.m. game at The College of Saint Rose (3-6) in Albany.

Spring is in the air at STAC

Mike Murtagh

Veteran mentor Scott Muscat of West Haverstraw, last season’s Coach of the Year in the East Coast Conference (ECC) after guiding the St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team to a 33-16 record, will be conducting the 10th annual Winter Baseball Clinic at the college’s campus gymnasium in Sparkill.

The clinic, featuring six sessions in two age brackets beginning on Jan. 18, is conducted by Muscat, a former minor-league player with the Milwaukee Brewers, and assistant coaches Justin Karn of Poughkeepsie, Jon Garvey of New City, Manny Del Rosario of Washington Heights, and Matt Marotta of Suffern.

Karn, who will handle the pitching staff for Muscat, hurled four years at Iona College in New Rochelle and is a manager in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL); former Spartans catcher Garvey is also a skipper in the ACBL; Del Rosario was an infielder in the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers organization; and Marotta is a former ECC Pitcher of the Year with STAC, the first pitcher to be so honored from the school.

The Winter Baseball Clinic is offered to 6-8-year olds in the 6-7:30 p.m. time slot, followed by 9-12-year-olds from 7:30-9 p.m. The six sessions are priced at $199, and are scheduled Jan. 18, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 15 and Feb. 22.

Muscat notes that STAC provides a 70-foot hitting cage and indoor mounds. Players are asked to bring a bat, glove, helmet, and gym shoes.Up, up and over at The College of Saint Rose

Revenue raised from the clinic is earmarked for the baseball program’s fundraising effort. Current STAC players, including pro prospect Frank Salerno of New City — who set a school stolen-base record last season with 40 — are also lending a hand.

For information email Muscat at [email protected], or visit stacathletics.com/sports/bsb.

Mortarboard musings

  • Playing without injured standout Alaina Walker of Pomona in the second half, the St. Bonaventure University women’s basketball team dropped to .500 on the season following a 70-66 loss to visiting North Carolina State at the Reilly Center in Olean. N.C. State (8-5) handed St. Bonaventure (7-7) its first home loss in five games this season. The Bonnies, who trailed 39-24 at halftime, tried to mount a comeback when play resumed but with senior guard Walker on the bench following an injury to her chin in the first half that required stitches. Walker finished with three rebounds, one assist and one steal for the Bonnies, who will be in Wisconsin on Jan. 5 when they attempt to slow down the high-riding Green Bay Phoenix (11-2) at 3 p.m.
  • Luke Houston of Pearl River, a sophomore guard on the University of Southern Connecticut men’s basketball team, is averaging 8.5 points and four rebounds a game. The Owls (6-4) travel to Albany on Jan. 5 to meet The College of Saint Rose at 3:30 p.m. Houston also has 16 steals and 15 assists on the season.
  • The Dominican College women’s lacrosse team will soon help to christen the new fields at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill. The Chargers, who face a 12-game schedule, open their season on March 2 against local rival STAC, and then travel to Dobbs Ferry on March 16 to challenge Mercy College. Dominican opens its Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) schedule on March 23 at Philadelphia University. The Chargers’ home opener at DC Lacrosse Field in Orangeburg will be against Nyack College on April 3. Senior Day is set for April 20 against Holy Family University.
  • Seniors Taylor Wilson of Pearl River and Jennifer McSharar of Garnerville, leading figures on the Manhattanville College women’s basketball team, lead the Valiants back into action beginning with a three-game home stand at Kennedy Gymnasium in Purchase on Jan. 5 against SUNY Old Westbury at 1 p.m. Manhattanville (6-4) then hosts William Paterson on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m., and FDU-Florham on Jan. 9 at 6 p.m.
  • Junior Mike Murtagh of Nanuet competes in pole vault on the track and field team at The College of Saint Rose in Albany. The Golden Knights begin the season on Jan. 5 at the Crowell Open, hosted by the U.S. Military Academy in West Point. On the following Saturday, Jan. 12, Saint Rose travels to the Yale Invitational in New Haven, Conn. As a sophomore, Murtagh was a dual threat for the Golden Knights, competing as both a runner and a pole-vaulter.
  • Paul Fields of Clarkstown is three wins above .500 at 10-7 this season for the wrestling team at SUNY Cortland. The Red Dragons, ranked sixth in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III poll, are in action Jan. 5 at the North/South Duals, hosted by Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. The Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference consists of Brockport, Cortland, Ithaca, Lycoming, Messiah, Oneonta, Oswego and Rochester Institute of Technology.
  • Andrew Shepard picked up two second-place finishes at Lehman

    Andrew Shepard of West Nyack turned in a pair of runner-up finishes as the College of Mount Saint Vincent swimming team lost at Lehman College, 96-75, before the holiday break. Shepard, a junior who was graduated from Clarkstown South HS, placed second in the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle for the Dolphins, who are heading to Orlando, Fla., for a five-day winter training period on Jan. 15. The team, based in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, returns to action on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. against Drew University in Madison, N.J.

  • R.J. Burns of Pearl River, a freshman forward on the U.S. Military Academy hockey team, might get some TV time on Jan. 4 when the Cadets (6-8-2) entertain Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Robert Morris University (8-4-2) at Tate Arena at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on the CBS College Sports Network. The teams meet again on Jan. 5, also at West Point, at 7:05 p.m. in the annual House of Blues, a prostate cancer awareness evening. Burns, out of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., has one goal and three assists in his rookie collegiate campaign. For tickets, visit www.goARMYsports.com, call 1-877-TIX-ARMY or visit the ticket office at Gate 3 of Michie Stadium.
  • Sophomore guard Tavon Sledge of Spring Valley scored six points with five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 28 minutes as the Iona College men’s basketball team defeated host St. Bonaventure University, 93-74, at the Reilly Center in Olean. The Gaels (7-6) begin the meat of their MAAC schedule on Jan. 4, completing a three-game road trip at Siena College (2-11) in Loudonville. The Maroon & Gold then hosts Manhattan College (3-8) on Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. at the Hynes Center in New Rochelle.
  • Freshman guard Regina Argenzio of Orangeburg has played in five games for the New York University women’s basketball team. Argenzio, an alumna of Tappan Zee HS, has six assists, six steals, five points and three rebounds for the Violets, who visit Brandeis University (6-5) in Waltham, Mass., on Jan. 5, and then host Hunter College (2-6) at 5 p.m. on Jan. 8.

This & That

  • Mets fans – they’re out there, somewhere – who enjoy the written word might consider “Total Mets: The Definitive Encyclopedia of the New York Mets’ First Half-Century” (Triumph, $29.95). The 735-page tome is the work of Nanuet HS alum David Ferry, a 50-year-old now residing in Fairfax, Va., who toils for Associated Press Broadcasting in Washington, D.C.
  • Pearl River wrestlers now enjoy a state-of-the-art wrestling room

    Right on schedule, a newly renovated, expanded, high-tech wrestling room was on display following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Pearl River High School on Dec. 27, with Pirates athletic director Todd Santabarbara thanking parents for their support and involvement, and most especially Bob Gullo. The following day at the high school, North Rockland won the team title at the 33rd Michael O’Connell Wrestling Tournament. Individual champs for the Red Raiders were Marlon Borge at 108 pounds, Blaise Benderoth at 122 and Nick Didio at 162. Warwick placed second in the team standings, followed by Tappan Zee, Pearl River and Washingtonville to complete the top five.

Paul powers Cardinals

Freshman forward Devona Paul of Blauvelt, a Tappan Zee HS alumna, had a game-high eight blocked shots and a team-leading eight rebounds, leading the Plattsburgh State University women’s basketball team to a 67-58 victory over Skidmore.

The Cardinals (6-3, 3-1 SUNYAC) put the brakes on Skidmore (2-7) behind a balanced scoring attack and a rugged defensive game plan that held the Thoroughbreds to a 17-of-60 (28.3 percent) afternoon from the field in the NYU Holiday Classic.

The Cardinals return to their own Memorial Hall on Jan. 8, for a non-conference bout with Norwich at 6 p.m.

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