Annual Sports Banquet Honorees
On Tuesday evening, May 6th, the Centenary College Athletic Department held its annual Sports Banquet. Part of the evening’s festivities included recognition of specific Student-Athletes for their successes both on and off the playing field. The following list of athletes received the College’s top honors.
Cardy Gemma Award
(Presented each year to graduating seniors in honor of Catello “Cardy” Gemma, Athletic Director 1989-1994. This award is presented for outstanding athletic achievement, attitude, and leadership on and off the playing field)
Male (co-winners) - Mike Gummerson (Wrestling)
Chris Mattson (Baseball)
Female - Tonya DiDonna (Women’s Soccer)
Rookie of the Year
Male - Jon Stillo (Wrestling)
Female - Bianca Santulli (Women’s Soccer)
Highest Team GPA
Women’s Lacrosse Team ( 3.204 GPA)
Scholar Athlete
(Presented each year to the male and female student athlete with the highest cumulative GPA)
Male - Chris Hill – 3.779 GPA (Men’s Soccer)
Female - Cheryl Stark - 3.756 GPA (Women’s Soccer)
Coach of the Year (co-winners)
Kevin Davies (Women’s Soccer)
John Garriques (Wrestling)
Pennsylvania Athletic Conference announces new name; Rebranding effort
Aston, Pa. – Commissioner Amy Frankenstein-Friedman announced last week that the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) will be changing its name to the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC), effective July 1, 2008.
With the new name comes a massive rebranding effort that will change the identity of the conference.
“This is an exciting time for the conference,” Commissioner Frankenstein-Friedman said. “The new name recognizes that we have member schools that are not in Pennsylvania. And, after years of being confused with other conferences that are similarly named, we will be able to create a new identity and really stand out from the crowd.”
The PAC’s Marketing and Re-branding Committee, composed of administrators and student-athletes from member institutions, conducted two surveys to obtain feedback on what features were important in a conference name. More than 1200 visitors looked at the surveys, and more than 800 completed them.
With feedback from the first survey coming from other conference commissioners, student-athletes, parents, alumni, current students, faculty and staff, the committee was able to create a list of 10 possible names. That list was the basis of the second survey, in which respondents ranked the names in order of preference.
“We learned from the surveys that it was important for the new name to be representative of not only our member institutions, but also our location,” said the commissioner. “It was also important that the historical significance of the area be represented somehow. I think we’ve accomplished that.”
The top four names were presented to the conference Athletic Directors to be ranked, and then to the Board of Directors for a final vote. With a name chosen, the conference office began a trademark and copyright search to confirm that the name was free and clear for use.
With the name cleared, the conference is moving forward with logo development. As developments unfold, more information will be made available.
As of July 1, 2008, the member institutions of the Colonial States Athletic Conference will be: Baptist Bible College, Cabrini College, Cedar Crest College, Centenary College, College of Notre Dame, Gwynedd-Mercy College, Keystone College, Immaculata University, Marywood University, Neumann College, Rosemont College, and Philadelphia Biblical University. Shenandoah University will continue as an associate member in Men's Lacrosse.
Baseball Uses Ten Run Third, Grant Homer to Advance into Finals
- Jared Grant
(5/2/08) In the nightcap of Day #2 at the PAC (Pennsylvania Athletic Conference) Baseball Tournament, the Centenary Cyclones again saved off elimination with a huge offensive game versus Alvernia College. Following their 14-4 victory, where they pounded out 16 hits, #3 seed Centenary now moves into Sunday’s Championship Round versus the #2 seed Gwynedd Mercy College. The day’s first game will start at 1pm, with a second game pending on the outcome of the first.
The Cyclones opened the game as they did earlier with runners on base, threatening to strike first. Alvernia’s Steve Geisel however settled in to pitch out of the inning, and Centenary went scoreless. After Centenary went three up – three down in the second, the home Crusaders opened the scoring. AC used a lead off double by James Geosits, a sac fly by Chris Stoudt, an RBI single by Tim Carroll, and an unearned run to take a 3-0 lead. In the top of the third inning, Centenary not only got back in the game, they blew it open. The Cyclones sent 15 batters to the plate in a frame that saw the visitor’s bang out 10 hits, three for extra bases, and score ten times. Mark DeMaio (Morris Plains/Parsippany Hills), Andrew Granozio (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), and Jared Grant (Flanders, NJ) all had two hits in the inning. Granozio, Grant, and Andrew Materia (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) all added two RBI’s each. The first seven runs were enough to chase Geisel from the mound, in favor of Peter Fernandez. More...
Rossi's Arm, Fasano and Materia's Bats Move Centenary on 6-2
- Andrew Materia
(5/3/08) In the first game of Day #2 at the PAC (Pennsylvania Athletic Conference) Baseball Tournament, the Centenary Cyclones advanced to this evenings Loser Bracket final with a 6-2 victory over Misericordia University. Centenary will now await the loser of Alvernia and Gwynedd Mercy which is being played at 3pm.
Just as they did in yesterday’s opening round game, the Cyclones struck first. Following a top of the first in which Centenary starter Mike Rossi (Old Bridge/Old Bridge) stranded two Misericordia runners, leadoff hitter Mark DeMaio (Morris Plains/Parsippany Hills) opened the bottom with a walk. DeMaio shortly stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. After a line out to second, DeMaio scampered home on a wild pitch putting the Cyclones in front 1-0. The Cougars again threatened in the second, as they used a pair of singles and walk to load the bases with two outs. Rossi again dashed their hopes forcing a groundout to end the inning. The game remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth, when Mark Cerrachio (Brick/Brick Memorial) started off with a double. Two batters later, Andrew Materia (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) exchanged places with Cerrachio at second after an RBI double, extending the advantage to 2-0. The Cyclones notched a third run in the fifth after, Bill Geltzeiler (Rumson/Rumson-Fairhaven) opened the frame with a triple. Two batters later Andrew Granozio (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) chased him home with a sacrifice fly. More...
Baseball Drops 6-1 Decision to Gwynedd Mercy
(5/2/08) This afternoon the #3 seeded Cyclone Baseball team fell into the loser’s bracket of the 2008 PAC (Pennsylvania Athletic Conference) Championship Tournament, after falling to #2 Gwynedd Mercy by the final of 6-1. With the loss Centenary will now take on the loser of tonight’s game between Alvernia/Misericordia, tomorrow morning at 11:00am. The Griffins however move on and await the winner of tonight’s match-up into tomorrow’s winner bracket final at 3:00 pm.
The Cyclones scratched through for the game’s first run in the top of the second. After the first two batters were retired, freshman Zach Reynolds (Yorktown, NY/Yorktown) singled. Jared Grant (Flanders, NJ) quickly followed with a second single. Senior Bill Geltzeiler (Rumson/Rumson-Fairhaven) then delivered the big two-out hit driving in Reynolds, and Centenary took the 1-0 lead. After going quietly in the first two innings, the Griffins struck in the third. Dave Deodato and Mark Mattes opened the frame with a single and a double, putting runners on second and third. Gwynedd Mercy would tie the game on a Dan Strack groundout, followed by a Tim McMenamin groundout which gave them the 2-1 lead. The Cyclones looked to come right back in the fourth as Andrew Materia (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) lead off with his first hit of the game. Grant delivered his second knock one out later, which was followed by a two-out walk to Mark DeMaio (Morris Plains/Parsippany Hills). Unfortunately the Cyclones stranded all three runners, which would ultimately turn out to be the Cyclones downfall all afternoon. More...
Lacrosse Falls to Eastern 10-6 in PAC Playoffs
- Brian Triolo
(4/30/08) Earlier this afternoon the Centenary Men’s Lacrosse team lost in the PAC (Pennsylvania Athletic Conference) semi-finals to Eastern University by the final of 10-6. The victory moves the Eagles into Saturday’s Championship game versus Cabrini College, who advanced to Sunday with a 19-1 victory over Marywood also earlier today. The loss ends the Cyclones season with an overall record of 6-11.
The afternoon started with Centenary notching the first score, on an unassisted goal from Jason Reig (Long Valley West Morris). The host Eagles responded two minutes later on a goal from Michael Ryan, tying the game at 1-1. Eastern tallied another at the 9:10 mark when Ryan found Matt Colello for the 2-1 lead. The visiting Cyclones took control of the opening quarter as they ran off three consecutive goals, getting scores from Ryan Mangold (Hillsborough/Hillsborough), Colin Aldino (Belmar/St. Rose), and Nate Small (Great Mills, MD/Great Mills). Reig, Small, and Aldino all registered assists in the span. Centenary took the 4-2 advantage into the second period. Eastern then used the second quarter for their own scoring spree, tallying the only four goals of the period. Ben O’Donnell pulled the hosts to within one on an assist from Michael Ryan. Ryan then did his own scoring recording the next three, with assists coming from Nick Mandia, Colello, and Matt Mandia. Eastern held the Cyclones scoreless in the period and held a 6-4 lead at the halftime break. More...
Women's Lax Season Ends with a Loss to Notre Dame
- Lauren Feldman
(4/27/08) - This past Saturday the Centenary women’s lacrosse team traveled down to Baltimore to take on the College of Notre Dame in the first round of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Playoffs. The women were able to come back from an 8-3 halftime deficit to take the lead but could not hold on as Notre Dame scored three goals in the closing minutes to defeat the Lady Cyclones 12-11.
Sophomore Megan Mars (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) led the Lady Cyclones with four goals while seniors Nicole Becker (Randolph/Randolph) and Lauren Feldman (Sicklerville/Washington Twp.) both found the net three times. Also tallyng points for the Lady Cyclones were LaToya Day (Keansburk/Red Bank) who netted one goal and Kiti Ovaskainen (Helsinki, Finland/Vaskeineoreo Lukio) who recorded three assists. More...
Men's Lacrosse Victorious in Senior Day Match with Alvernia
- Ryan Mangold
(4/26/08) – In their final regular season game today on Cyclone Field the Centenary men’s lacrosse team took on visiting Alvernia College. The Cyclones came out on top 9-8 in the match honoring the four graduating seniors.
The first quarter went back and forth with both teams scoring goals but Centenary keeping and slight advantage. Goals by Rory Murray (Cranford/Seton Hall Prep) and Ryan Mangold (Hillsborough/Hillsborough) gave the Cyclones a two goal lead and after an Alvernia answering goal, a goal by Nate Small (Great Mills, MD/Great Mills) made the score 3-1. The Crusaders netted two in a row to knot the game up at 3-3 but the Cyclones found the back of the net twice before the end of the period. The second period saw Alvernia take the control of the game scoring two goals to Centenary’s one and gaining the advantage in shots 10-3 when in the first quarter the Cyclones out shot the Crusaders 12-4. At the half, Centenary was down to a one goal lead.
The second half saw the ball go end to end. Despite Alvernia leading in shots again, the only Cyclones found the net to increase their lead to two. The final quarter was even up as both team had good scoring opportunities. More...
Softball Splits With Neumann on the Road
- Lauren Cassoff
(4/26/08) – The Centenary Lady Cyclones split with the The Neumann Knights split in a double header yesterday on the road, losing the first game 8-0 and winning the second 13-3.
In game one pitcher Angela Sebasto struck out eight Lady Cyclones in a row until senior Stephanie Bickel (Brick/Manasquan) singled in the top of the third to end the streak. Neumann took the lead in the fourth scoring four of the eight they would tally over the game. The Knights added one to their total in the fifth and then in the bottom of the sixth a homer three run homer ended the game.
Game two the Lady Cyclones got ahead early in the first but their advantage was short lived as the Knights knotted things up in the second half of the inning. More...
Baseball Scores Five Times in Final Four Innings for Victory
(4/25/08) Earlier this evening the Cyclone Baseball team did what it seems to do best, score late in games to steal victories from their opponents. Tonight they took it to an extreme, scoring all five of their runs over the final four innings of play. The five runs were good enough to steal away a 5-4 victory over visiting Neumann College in the first game of the two team's three game series this weekend.
The Centenary defense was a little shaky behind left-handed starter Andrew Koncen (Elizabeth/Union Catholic) in the first inning. A pair of Cyclone fielding errors led to four unearned Neumann runs, putting the hosts down 4-0 before they had a chance to bat. Over the next four innings Koncen and the defense settled in, while the Knights starter Brian Alburger was solid from the start. Each team only recorded two hits a piece over those four innings, with neither side tallying a run. In the bottom of the sixth things changed for the Cyclones. They opened the inning with the first two batters reaching base, Andrew Granozio (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) with a double and Mike Fasano (Hawthorne/St. Joseph's Acacdemy) on a fielding error. Mark Cerrachio (Brick/Brick Memorial) then followed with a sac fly, scoring Granozio for the first Centenary run. After a single off the bat of Bill Getlzeiler (Rumson/Rumson-Fairhaven), Andrew Materia (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) drove in Fasano with the teams second run of the inning. However that would be as close as the rally would get Centenary, still trailing 4-2. More...
Cyclones Take Down Farmingdale 12-6
- Rory Murray
(4/23/08) – This afternoon the Centenary men’s lacrosse team played host to visiting Farmingdale State University in a non-conference match-up. Seniors Nate Small (Great Mills, MD/Great Mills), Ryan Mangold (Hillsborough/Hillsborough) and Rory Murray (Cranford/Seton Hall Prep.) each recorded a hat trick to lead the team in the Cyclones 12-6 victory over the Rams.
Centenary started off strong scoring the first two goals of the game but Farmingdale answered back with one of their own. The two teams traded goals for the remainder of the first quarter and then in the second quarter the men scored three goals to Farmingdale’s one to finish the half with a score of 6-3.
The Cyclones out shot Farmingdale 30-11 in the first half alone and picked up more than double the ground balls but the Rams seven out of the 11 face-offs.
Centenary led by three at the end of the first half but the Rams added two after halftime to cut the men’s lead to one. More...
Baseball Scores Five in the Sixth, Win Third Straight 8-4
(4/22/08) The Centenary baseball team used a five-run sixth inning to extend its winnig streak to three earlier today, as they downed Mount Saint Vincent 8-4 in a non-conference match-up.
After opening the game with single runs in both of the first two innings, the Cyclones found themselves trailing 4-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth. As they have some moany times this season, Centenary used another big inning to take control of the game and eventually record the victory. In the sixth, the first pair of Cyclone batters reached base. Following a flyout, Bill Geltzeiler (Rumson/Rumson-Fairhaven) walked to load the bases. Sophomore Mark DeMaio (Morris Plains/Parsippany Hills) then delivered a cluth RBI single which was followed by a sacrifice fly from Jayson Loder (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) tying the game at 4-4. On the same play, Centenary was able to force another run across, when a miss-thrown ball by the visiting Dolphins got by their first basemen allowed Geltzeiler to score. Centenary added their fourth and fifth runs of the inning when Michael Fasano (Hawthorne/St. Joseph's Academy) tripled, driving in DeMaio and Andrew Materia (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) who walked ahead of him, extending the lead to 7-4. More...
Second Half Surge Lifts Lady Cyclones Over Misericordia
- Megan Mars
(4/21/08) – After being down by four at the intermission the Lady Cyclones rallied in the second half to defeat visiting Misericordia 16-13 in their final regular season game. Sophomore Megan Mars (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) and junior Michelle Garone (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) paced the women with four goals each.
Centenary trailed 9-5 at the conclusion of the first half despite the women taking a two point lead early into play off of two goals by Mars and a goal by Nicole Becker (Randolph/Randolph). The Cougars ended the half scoring seven goals to Centenary’s one to gain the advantage.
Centenary was out shot by Misericordia 21-19 in the first half and picked up three more ground balls.
The first two goals of the second period belonged to Misericordia but a Mars’s third goal of the day sparked a five goal run that would redeem the Lady Cyclones. More...
Cyclones Sweep Misericordia, Loder Hits First Slam
(4/19/08) On Saturday afternoon the Centenary Baseball team took the final pair of games they had versus Misericordia University. The win improves Centenary to 14-16 overall, 7-8 in the PAC, while the loss drops the Cougars to 11-20, 6-7 in conference.
In game one Centenary used a three run third inning, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Mark DeMaio (Morris Plains, NJ/Parsippany Hills) to jump in front. Two innings later the Cyclone would tack on two more when Lou Penna (East Haven, CT/Notre Dame) and DeMaio tagged back-to-back triples to open the inning, and Jayson Loder (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) added a sac fly. Andrew Koncen (Elizabeth, NJ/Union Catholic) went the distance for Centenary, scattering eight hits, striking out six, and recording his third victory of the season.
In game two the visiting Cougars got on the the board first scoring a run in the top of the first. Lead-off man Michael Murphy opened the game with a single and would later score on an RBI single by Mike D'Amara to give Misericordia the early 1-0 lead. More...
Softball Splits in Two Hair Raisers with Immaculata
- Kristin Durborow
(4/18/08) – On this sunny Friday afternoon the Centenary softball team played host to visiting Immaculata University in a PAC conference clash. The Lady Cyclones were only able to pull off a win in the night cap as they split losing 6-5 in game one and 5-4 in game two.
Pitcher Sarah Olsen (Lake Hopatcong/Pope John XXIII) began game one by striking out three in a row but things went downhill for the Lady Cyclones from there. After three scoreless innings, Immaculata got on the board off of a homer by Carol Mastrosante in the top of the fourth. Mastrosante hit her second straight homer in the fifth as the Macs scored five more to take a 6-0 lead. The Lady Cyclones gained some ground, scoring two in the bottom of the sixth but remained behind going into the seventh. A single by Geriann LaGuardia (Edison/J.P. Stevens) and a double by Kate Norris (Lake Hopatcong/Jefferson Twp.) got runners in scoring position for pinch hitter Lauren Cassoff (Manahwakin/Southern Regional) who whacked a ball over the center field fence. Unfortunately the rally was not enough, as the next three batters grounded out to end the game with a score of 6-5. More...
Lady Cyclones Cut Down By Eastern 18-9
- Michelle Garone
(4/17/08) – Today on Cyclone Field the Centenary women’s lacrosse team hosted visiting Eastern University. Despite the beautiful sunny day the Lady Cyclones were disappointed by a 18-9 loss to their PAC opponent. This defeat takes the women back to .500 in the conference with a record of 4-4 while falling to 6-4 overall. Eastern improves to 9-4 overall and 6-1 in conference play.
The game got off to a slow start but the Eagles would get on the board first just under eight minutes in to play. Erin Reimel would follow up with a goal from a free position shot only a minute later. Centenary countered with two goals of their own scored by Michelle Garone (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) and Kiti Ovaskainen (Helsinki, Finland/Vaskeineoreo/Lukio) to tie the game up at two all. Eastern then scored six goals to Centenary’s one to finish off the half with a score of 8-3.
The first four goals of the second half also belonged to Eastern as the Lady Cyclones saw their deficit increase to nine. More...
Mangold's Four Not Enough as Cyclones Fall 9-7
- Ryan Mangold
(4/17/08) - The men’s lacrosse team traveled to Manhattanville College yesterday evening for a non-conference game. Despite carrying the lead for the first three periods, the men could not hold on and eventually succumbed to the Valiants 9-7.
The first period began with the Cyclones taking a 2-0 lead over the Valiants with unassisted goals by Ryan Mangold (Hillsborough/Hillsborough) and Colin Aldino (Belmar/St. Rose). Mangold added to the men’s lead in the second quarter, scoring off of an assist by Nate Small (Great Mills, MD/Great Mills).
The third quarter saw the men extend their lead to four when Jason Reig (Long Valley/West Morris) scored an unassisted goal five minutes in but a goal by Mahattanville a few minutes later would open up a seven goal scoring run for the Valiants. More...
Softball Falls in Double Header with Misericordia 11-3 and 9-0
(4/16/08) - The Centenary Softball team was swept in a double header played at Misericordia yesterday afternoon. The women fell 11-3 and 9-0 taking them to 8-16 overall and 2-10 in the PAC while Misericordia moved to 19-9.
In the first game the Lady Cyclones tallied 11 hits but could only muster three runs, one in the third and two in the fifth. Misericordia countered Centenary’s scoring in the fifth, scoring five runs of their own to take a 9-3 lead. Misericordia would score two more before the final inning to make the score 11-3. Megan Dunne (Frenchtown/Delaware Valley Regional) led the women with two hits and two RBI’s while Jenna Wendolowski (Jersey City/Holy Family Academy) also recorded two hits and made it home twice. More...
Six Run Outburst Fuels Comeback, Cyclones Win 7-5
(4/15/08) Earlier today the Centenary Baseball collected their 11th victory overall and 5th in the PAC Conference, in come from behind fashion. The Cyclones who have won six of their last eight games, have now moved into a possible fifth place tie in the conference standings heading into the final two weeks of the season.
The visiting Eagles seemed to have things in control after putting up five runs through the opening three innings. The first three coming in the top of the second as Eastern’s top hitter Davis Murray opened the frame with a double. Murray would come around to score the first run on a Centenary fielding error. Later in the inning Ryan Polk knocked in the visitor’s second run with an RBI single, which would be followed four batters later with a third scoring play as Kurt Kebaugh forced in a run when he was hit by a pitch. The next inning Eastern was back at it scoring two more times, when Polk drove in his second and third runs of the game with a bases clearing double. The score remained 5-0 all the way til the bottom of the sixth, when Centenary pushed across their first run. Michael Fasano (Hawthorne/St. Joseph’s Academy) led of the inning with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Following two consecutive outs, Zach Reynolds (Yorktown, NY/Yorktown) delivered an RBI single plating Fasano. More...
Early Run Leads Women's Lacrosse Past Cedar Crest 20-8
- Nicole Becker
(4/15/08) – The Centenary women’s lacrosse team defeated Cedar Crest College 20-8 on Monday on a PAC Conference game. The women now stand at 4-2 in the conference and 6-3 overall while Cedar Crest dropped to 1-7 in the PAC and 1-11 overall.
The Lady Cyclones began the game with an eight goal run until Cedar Crest got on the board. A goal by Kiti Ovaskainen (Helsinki, Finland/Vaskeineoreo Lukio) started the women on a four goal streak that lasted until just under two minutes in the first period. Cedar Crest was able to net three goals in the short time before the half.
The beginning of the second half looked much like the first as the Lady Cyclones scored five unanswered goals, three of which came from Lauren Feldman (Sicklerville/Washington Twp.), who would eventually lead the team with five. The two teams traded goals for the remainder of the game with Centenary’s last goal coming from Clare Johnson (Morristown/Morristown) who had played goalkeeper for the majority of the game. More...
Softball Spilts in a Double Header with Marywood
(4/14/08) - This past weekend the Centenary softball team traveled to Scranton, PA to take on Marywood University in a PAC double-header. Both the Lady Cyclones and the Pacers took a victory away from the match-up with Marywood taking the first game 8-3 and Centenary coming up with the 5-2 win in the second. This weekend improved Centenary to 8-14 overall (2-9 PAC) while Marywood moved to 14-14 (4-9 PAC).
In game one the Lady Cyclones hung in the game with a one run deficit until the fourth inning where Marywood was able to record three runs. The Pacers followed up in the fifth with two more to take the five run lead that would end the game. Pitching for the Lady Cyclones was Sarah Olsen (Lake Hopatcong/Pope John XXIII) who struck out four and allowed seven hits and six runs in her four innings of action. More...
Women's Lacrosse Falls to the Griffins in a Tale of Two Halves
(4/13/08) - This past weekend the Centenary women's lacrosse team was hosted by PAC opponent Gywnedd Mercy. Despite a well played second half, the Lady Cyclones fell to the Griffins 15-9.
The women dug themselves a hole in the first half scoring only three goals to Gywnedd Mercy’s nine. Centenary was outshot by the Griffins 24-7 and twice allowed the Griffins to go on a four goal scoring run that gave them the advantage at the break.
The second half was like a different game as the Lady Cyclones matched up evenly with the Griffins, outshooting them 21-17. Each team managed to find the back of the net six times. Unfortunately for the women, their performance in the first half took its toll as the women fell by a final score of 15-9. More...