Men's Track and Field Team Takes Third Place at Conference Meet; Softball Clinches Playoff Berth; Lacrosse Puts Most Successful Season in the Books



TRACK & FIELD - Men's Team Takes Third Place at Conference Meet



Buffalo State continued on the return road to prosperity on Saturday, with impressive showings at the SUNYAC Championships at Deitz Stadium in Kingston, NY. The men posted their highest finish in recent history with a third place showing, finishing behind only perennial powers Cortland and Geneseo. Although the women were unable to climb out of the eighth spot, they showed several fine individual efforts and gave Bengal supporters reason for optimism.



Led by the relay squad of John Lesure (Rochester/Greece-Athena), Eugene Overton (Syracuse/Corcoran), Aaron Kinard

(Queens/Springfield Gardens), and Markus Allen (Commack/ St. John's the Baptist), who set a new SUNYAC Championship Record with an astounding first-place time of 42.31, Buffalo State earned four men's championships. Allen added two more first-place finishes to his resume, taking the top-spot in both the 100m (11.15) and 200m Dashes (22.20). Kinard tied for third in the 100m Dash (11.28) and second in the 200m Dash (22.30) and Dan Conti (West Seneca/Maryvale) grabbed fifth in the 100m with a time of 11.49. Lesure added a championship in the long jump, achieving a distance of 6.69m and grabbed third in the triple jump, leaping 13.59m.



Joe Niezgoda (Alden/Alden) added an impressive finish in the 3,000m Steeplechase, placing fourth with a time of 10:06.55. Luis Espinosa (Medina/Medina) had another remarkable competition earning second-place for his effort in the Shot Put (13.45m) and Perry Davis (Buffalo/Seneca) came in third in the High Jump (1.93m).



Yolande Francis (Buffalo/Riverside) led the way for the women, capturing the championship in the Javelin competition with a throw of 28.38m. She became the first Bengal female to win a SUNYAC Championship since 1999. Francis also claimed eighth in the High Jump competition,

clearing a height of 1.43m. Autumn Hensel (Akron/Akron) also had a strong meet finishing third in the 400m Dash (1:00.41) and seventh in the 200m Dash (26.95). Nicole Rowland (Brooklyn/Stephen Austin) also scored for the Bengals with a sixth place finish in the 100m hurdles with a

time of 17.34.



What's Next?



The Bengals will travel down Interstate 90 to Rochester this Saturday for the NYSCTC Championships to be held at University of Rochester.



SOFTBALL (19-15/13-7 SUNYAC) - Bengals Clinch Playoff Berth



Buffalo State posted just one win in six contests this past week, but did enough to earn a berth in the SUNYAC playoffs this weekend.



The Bengals traveled to Brockport on Wednesday to meet the Golden Eagles for a conference doubleheader. Brockport claimed the first game by a 1-0 score, despite Liz Beiter (N. Tonawanda/N. Tonawanda) allowing just four Brockport hits. Buffalo State could not muster enough offense to push a run across the plate, as Nicole Willats (Tonawanda/Sweet Home) accounted for all but one of the Bengals' hits, going 3-for-3. The Bengals faced a "must-win" scenario in the nightcap. Willats' bat stayed hot as she provided the Bengals with all the offense they would

need with a solo-homerun in the first inning. Tracy Urban's (Lancaster/Lancaster) arm would allow the run to stand as she hurled a four-hit shutout. Heidi Rammacher's (Angola/Lakeshore) double in the fourth inning drove in Nadine Sirianni (Niagara Falls/Niagara Falls), who was 2-for-3, and provided an insurance run in Buffalo State's 2-0 win.



On Friday, the Bengals closed out the home portion of their schedule, hosting SUNYAC foe Cortland. The Red Dragons finished on top of an explosive battle in the opener, as the two teams accounted for 23 hits, but Cortland won 9-3. Bone of the SUNYAC's elite pitchers. Willats and Stephanie Menth (Tonawanda/Tonawanda) each went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Alyssa Brosius (N. Tonawanda/N. Tonawanda) was 3-for-3 with two runs scored. In the nightcap, Cortland continued its offensive assault, but the Bengals were unable to retaliate, as they fell 6-0. Kim Nogle (Tonawanda/Tonawanda) went 2-for-3, accounting for all but one of Buffalo State's hits. In the field, Buffalo State was plagued by four errors.



Buffalo State's fielding woes continued into Saturday at Ithaca, as Buffalo State committed six errors in a pair of losses. Buffalo State rallied to tie the first game at 3-3 in the top of the seventh inning. Ithaca showed why they are the 16th ranked team in the nation, however, as it bounced back to score a 4-3 win in the bottom of the last inning. Sirianni went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Menth was 2-for-4 with a run scored as the Bengals fell short in their upset bid. In the second half of the twin-bill, Ithaca bested Buffalo State 5-1. Willats was the only Bengal with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Melissa Balsavage (Depew/Depew) scattered six hits in five innings of work and allowed just two earned runs, but did not have enough support to earn a win.



Buffalo State fell to 19-15 on the season and concluded its SUNYAC schedule 13-7.



Who's Next?



Buffalo State is scheduled to travel to the University of Rochester for a non-conference double-header on Wednesday to close out the regular season. The Bengals will then begin the SUNYAC playoffs at Geneseo on Thursday. Buffalo State's will be seeded fifth or sixth.



Ending an Era?



Buffalo State played its final games on Buffalo State Field on Friday against Cortland. Construction on a new softball complex that will include apermanent fence, a warning track, a scoreboard, and bullpens, will begin next month.



En Fuego?



Freshman Alyssa Brosius (N. Tonawanda/N. Tonawanda) has been the hottest Bengal at the plate during the stretch run. The number-nine hitter has quietly developed into the team's most consistent hitter, as she leads the team with a .379 batting average. Brosius has gone 16-for-28 (.571) during her last 11 games, after hitting .288 during her first 23 collegiate contests.



LACROSSE (4-9/1-6 SUNYAC) - Bengals Put Most Successful Season in the Books



Buffalo State finished the season in grand fashion, defeating the Hilbert Hawks by a score of 16-0. The victory was the first shutout in school history and earned the Bengals their best record in their nine-year existence at 4-9.



The Bengals trounced the Hawks for 11 first half goals. Opening the scoring was Stefanie Hineman(Lancaster/Lancaster) who netted her 16th goal of the season within the first two minutes of the game. The senior class made a remarkable last impression as Danielle DeJames (West Seneca/Frontier) tallied two goals and three assists to lead all scorers with five points. Plis added three goals on the day, increasing her career goals scored to 81. Karly Thomsen (Ontario/Ontario), a defensive role player for the team, scored her first career goal in her final game as a Bengal. In between the pipes for the Bengals, Leah Delormier (Rooseveltown/Salmon River) and Laticia McNaughton (Sanborn/Niagara Wheatfield) combined to blank the Hawks, earning Buffalo State the landmark shutout. Other scorers for the Bengals were Geminique Tolve (Staten Island/Tottenville) who totaled three goals and one assist and Katie Richelt (Snyder/Amherst) who recorded one goal and one assist. Also contributing to the Bengal outburst was Jennifer Lawniczak (Lancaster/Lancaster) who netted two goals in the second half. Nicole Flannery (Tonawanda/Tonawanda), Jessica Murdock (Hilton/Hilton), and Jillian Rindos (Lancaster/Lancaster) each pitched in with one goal apiece. Andrea Floriano (Tonawanda/KenmoreEaany lacrosse team in Buffalo State history with a 4-9 record, a number of other records fell this season. The team set a new unbeaten streak best with three consecutive wins, and now has the program's best winning percentage at .307.



Senior Kathleen Plis (Auburn/Auburn) leaves Buffalo State as the Bengals all-time leader in goals (81), assists (11), and points (92).



Leah Delormier (Rooseveltown/Salmon River) and Laticia McNaughton (Sanborn/Niagara Wheatfield) combined to give the Bengals the lowest goals against average for a season (12.69) while also recording Buffalo State's first shutout ever.



The season's record also secured Coach Staci Handley of being the winningest coach in school history with a 4-9 record and a winning percentage of .307.



Passing the Torch...



As the record breaking senior class departs, they leave the program in good hands with players who are ready to assume the leadership roles necessary to build on this season's success. Freshman Stefanie Hineman (Lancaster/Lancaster) finished her season as the team's second leading scorer with 16 goals and three assists for 19 points. Also returning next year will be Jill Rindos (Lancaster/Lancaster), who was fourth on the team in scoring with four goals and three assists for seven points and defensive leader Katie Richelt (Snyder/Amherst). In net, Laticia McNaughton (Sanborn/Niagara Wheatfield) is expected to take over for Leah Delormier (Rooseveltown/Salmon River). McNaughton

improved steadily as the season progressed and seems poised and confident to take over the duties as starting goalie.