2009-10 Canisius AthleticsBy The Numbers...2,196Paid attendance for the basketball doubleheader Jan. 29 in the Koessler Athletic Center - a new building record.

751Number of career wins for head softball coach Mike Rappl - more than any other softball coach in the MAAC.365

Total number of sporting events for all 16 varsity sports teams during the 2009-10 academic year.

107Number of student-athletes honored for their work in the classroom by their respective conferences.77

Former and current student-athletes that received their under-graduate degrees from the College in May 2010.

31Total number of all-league honorees in 2009-10.13

Wins by the women’s soccer team - a new school record. Also the number of MAAC regular season crowns won by softball - the most of any team at Canisius.

7Straight semesters the athletic department’s cumulative GPA has been over 3.0.

2Student-athletes named Player of the Year in their league (Hockey’s Cory Conacher and women’s lacrosse goalie Allison Daley - MAAC Defensive Player of the Year)

From the DirectorWhat’s next?

We are always focused on what is to be done next, who is in the next recruiting class, who is our next opponent? As important as this focus it, there is great value in looking back and reflecting on what has been accomplished. The tradition of our athletic program is built on our history, or more specifically the efforts of our Golden Griffin student-athletes to mark their place in the history of Canisius College.

Before we turn our attention to the excitement that awaits us in the 2010-11 academic year, it is impor-tant to reflect and highlight the many outstanding achievements and moments that made up the 2009-10 year that was just completed. As you will see through the pages of our annual report, the past year was another wonderful chapter in the history of our storied athletic pro-gram.

From the record-setting performances of our women’s soccer and cross country programs in the fall through the championship seasons for our softball and baseball programs, the Golden Griffin student-athletes continue to represent the College with distinction and make all of us associated with the program proud.

While there is no doubt that some of our student-athletes completed what are sure to be Hall of Fame careers in 2009-10, it is the contributions from the collective group that have ensured that our rich tradition has yet another compelling chapter.

This Annual Report captures the highlights from this past academic year. Enjoy the review and I will look forward to seeing you in the coming year.

Go Griffs!

Bill MaherDirector of Athletics

The 2009-10 Canisius College Athletic Department Annual Report is a production of the Canisius College Athletic Communications staff. Special thanks to those who assisted in the research and development of this look back at the 2009-10 academic year.

Photo Credits: Tom Wolf Imaging, Dave Schofield, Stockton Photo, Inc.

Congratulations GraduatesAt the College’s annual commencement ceremonies May 22, a total of 77 former and current student-athletes received their undergraduate degrees. Canisius athletics prides itself on working hard in the classroom as well as in the sporting arena, with the athletic department grade point average being over a cumulative 3.0 for seven consecutive semesters. Below is an alphabetical listing of the Class of 2010.

Name SportVincent Amigone HockeyCarl Anderson Men’s Swimming/DivingMatt Barkas Men’s LacrosseMichael Benzinger Men’s LacrosseAndrea Betts Women’s Swimming/DivingAlyson Brown Women’s LacrosseMarissa Brown Women’s LacrosseMatthew Butters Men’s Cross CountryAlex Caldiero Men’s LacrosseNicole Cardinale Synchronized SwimmingIan Choy BaseballCourtney Christman Synchronized SwimmingDave Cianfrini HockeyJulius Coles Men’s BasketballChris Cox BaseballDrew Creighton GolfAshley Curtis Women’s LacrosseShane Davis BaseballShawn DeJulio Men’s Swimming/DivingMike Deuschle BaseballKathleen DiPasquale Women’s Soccer/Women’s LacrosseEllen Duane Women’s Cross CountryKevin Ernst Men’s Swimming/DivingChris Forsman HockeyMichelle Fridey SoftballSamantha Garnet Women’s Cross CountryKaela Glenn VolleyballMike Globits Men’s SoccerMichelle Godfrey VolleyballMike Goemans BaseballVictor Gonzalez Men’s SoccerJosh Heidinger HockeyCarl Hudson HockeyLesley Ivinac Women’s SoccerRishawn Johnson Men’s BasketballMeagan Jones Women’s SoccerSylvia Kowalski Women’s SoccerTasia Lee Women’s BasketballPeter Leoni Men’s SoccerAndrew Loewen HockeyGreg Logins Men’s BasketballPablo Lopez Men’s SoccerBrianna Lucas Women’s BasketballPete MacDougall HockeyVictoria Mazur Synchronized SwimmingAlan McGreal Men’s SoccerChristopher Mekelburg Men’s Cross CountryJohn Minieri Men’s LacrosseJohn Morphis Men’s Swimming/Diving

Name SportJessica Nowak Women’s Cross CountryGarrett O’Neill Men’s LacrossePaul Panik BaseballPrecious Peoples Women’s Cross CountryDaniella Pettinari Women’s SoccerBrett Poissant Women’s LacrosseEllie Radke Women’s BasketballNilda Rosado Synchronized SwimmingAlison Rusak Women’s LacrosseAlison Saladin Women’s Swimming/DivingYulia Shepeleva Synchronized SwimmingPerry Silverman BaseballRandall Snodgrass II Men’s Swimming/DivingMatt Sprauge Men’s SoccerBlair Sprouse Women’s SoccerAdam Studniarek Men’s SoccerNatalia Tarasova Synchronized SwimmingMeagan Tremblay Synchronized SwimmingFrank Turner Men’s BasketballAndrew Van’t Wout BaseballSean Vella Men’s SoccerJason Weeks HockeyKyle Westerholt Men’s SoccerShayne Willson Basebal

Members of the Class of 2010 - former women’s lacrosse players Marissa Brown, Brett Poissant, Ashley Curtis and Alison Rusak.

Honors and AwardsBaseballMike McRae // Head Coach - 6th Season• MAAC Coach of the Year

Brian Burton // Jr., 1B• All-MAAC Second Team• MAAC All-Tournament Team

Ian Choy // Sr., DH• Preseason All-MAAC Team• Lowe’s Senior CLASS Candidate• CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team• CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America First Team• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team• ECAC Division I All-Star• ABCA/Rawlings Northeast Region First Team• School’s all-time career hits leader with 256.

Shane Davis // R-Jr., P• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Jarred Flock // Fr., OF• MAAC Rookie of the Week (Feb. 22)

Sean Jamieson // Jr., SS• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Tournament Team

Mike Goemans // Sr., P• MAAC Pitcher of the Week (May 10)• Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week (May 10)• College Baseball Insider.com Northeast Regional Player of the

Week (May 12)• MAAC All-Academic Team

Billy Martin // R-Fr., P• MAAC Rookie of the Week (March 2)

Josh Marshall // Jr., P• CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District I First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Steve McQuail // Jr., INF• MAAC Player of the Week (April 11)• NCBWA National Hitter of the Week (April 11)• College Baseball Insider.com Northeast Regional Player of the

Week (April 13)• MAAC Player of the Week (May 10)• All-MAAC Second Team• ABCA/Rawlings Third-Team All-American• ABCA/Rawlings Northeast Region First Team• 30th Round Draft Choice by the Toronto Blue Jays

Paul Panik // Sr., C• MAAC All-Academic Team

Perry Silverman // Sr., OF• MAAC Player of the Week (Feb. 22)• College Baseball Insider.com Northeast Region Player of the

Week (Feb. 24)• All-MAAC Second Team• MAAC All-Academic Team• CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team

Jon VanRemmen // So., INF• MAAC All-Academic Team

Shayne Willson // Jr., P• Preseason All-MAAC Team• MAAC Player of the Week (April 25)• All-MAAC Second Team• MAAC All-Tournament Team

Honors and AwardsMen’sBasketballBob Bevilacqua // Sr., G• MAAC All-Academic

Julius Coles // Jr., G• MAAC Player of the Week (Nov. 30)

Elton Frasier // Jr., F• ESPN “SportsCenter” Top Play for Jan. 29 & 30.

Greg Logins // Jr., F• Preseason All-MAAC Third Team

Frank Turner // Sr., G• Preseason All-MAAC Third Team• All-MAAC Third Team• MAAC All-Academic Team• NABC Division I All-District I Second Team• I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team• School’s all-time leader in assists (616)

Women’sBasketballMicayla Drysdale // Jr., G• Preseason All-MAAC Third Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Ashley Durham // Fr., G• MAAC Rookie of the Week (Nov. 23)

Stephanie MacDonald // So., G• MAAC All-Academic Team

Ellie Radke // Sr., F• Preseason All-MAAC Second Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Brittané Russell // Sr., G• Preseason All-MAAC First Team• MAAC Player of the Week (Nov. 30)• All-MAAC Second Team

Tauralee Tenn // Sr., G• MAAC All-Academic Team

Men’sCrossCountryMatthew Butters // Jr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Vasilis Kariolis // Sr.• Winner of the Little Three Championship• MAAC Male Runner of the Week (Oct. 12)

Mark Kearney // So.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Jonathan McDonald // So.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Chris Mekelburg // Sr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Women’sCrossCountryJulie Dahlkemper // So.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Ellen Duane // Sr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Molly Evans // Jr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Maura Frauenhofer // Jr.• Winner of the Duquesne Duals• MAAC Female Runner of the Week (Sept. 8)• National Catholic Championship Top-10 Finisher• Winner of the Monmouth Invitational

Honors and Awards• MAAC Female Runner of the Week (Oct. 12)• MAAC All-Academic Team

Samantha Garnet // Sr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Christine Mulvihill // So.• Winner of the Little Three Championships• MAAC Female Runner of the Week (Sept. 28)

Jessica Nowak // Sr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Jill Shea // So.• MAAC All-Academic Team

GolfDrew Creighton // Sr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Michael Knott // Jr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Scott Moser // So.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Stephen Seeler // So.• Little Three Individual Champion• MAAC All-Academic Team

HockeyTaylor Anderson // Jr., G• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Dave Cianfrini // Sr., D• Atlantic Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Cory Conacher // Jr., F• Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week (Oct. 18)• Atlantic Hockey Player of the Month (November)• Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week (Jan. 18)• All-Atlantic Hockey First Team• Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year• Canisius Male Athlete of the Year

Josh Heidinger // Sr., F• Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week (Feb. 22)• Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week (March 15)

Carl Hudson // Sr., D• All-Atlantic Hockey Second Team• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Scott Jenks // Jr., D• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Pat Kenney // Sr., F• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Ryan Klusendorf // Sr., F• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Torrey Lindsay // Fr., F• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Andrew Loewen // Sr., G• Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week (Nov. 23)• Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week (Feb. 8)• Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Nominee• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Peter MacDougall // Sr., F• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Dan Morrison // So., G• Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week (Oct. 12)• Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week (Oct. 12)• Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week (Nov. 23)

Scott Moser // So., F• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Ben Parker // Fr., F• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Phil Rauch // Jr., D• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Eric Rex // Jr., F• Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team

Honors and AwardsMen’sLacrosseMike Allaire // So., M• MAAC All-Academic Team

Matt Barkas // Sr., D• Preseason All-MAAC Team• All-MAAC Second Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Kyle Bell // So., GK• MAAC All-Academic Team

Travis Gibbons // So., A• MAAC All-Academic Team

Joe Greenwald // So., M• MAAC All-Academic Team

Adam Jones // Jr., M• Preseason MAAC Player of the Year• Named to the Tewaarton Trophy Watch List• Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American • MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (April 19)• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Nick LoCoco // Jr., A• MAAC All-Academic Team

James McCready // Sr., M• MAAC All-Academic Team

John Minieri // Sr., A• MAAC All-Academic

Women’sLacrosseKaitlyn Black // Jr., M• MAAC All-Academic Team• IWLCA Academic Squad

Rachel Brand // So., M• MAAC All-Academic Team

Marissa Brown // Sr., M• MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (Feb. 22)• MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (March 22)• All-MAAC Second Team• MAAC All-Academic Team• IWLCA Academic Squad

Ashley Curtis // Sr., A• MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Feb. 8)• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Allison Daley // Jr., GK• Preseason All-MAAC Team• MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (April 19)• MAAC Defensive Player of the Year• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Kathleen DiPaquale // Sr., D• MAAC All-Academic Team

Jackie Loson // Jr., M• All-MAAC Second Team• MAAC All-Academic Team• IWLCA Academic Squad

Gina Molfetta // Fr., GK• MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (March 29)

Honors and AwardsMegan Oosting // So., M• MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (April 12)• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Brett Poissant // Sr., M• Preseason All-MAAC Team• All-MAAC First Team

Carly Quinn // Jr., A• MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (March 29)• MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (April 26)• MAAC All-Academic Team• IWLCA Academic Squad

Alison Rusak // Sr., D• Preseason All-MAAC Team• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team• IWLCA Academic Squad

Men’sSoccerMike Globits // Sr., B• MAAC All-Academic Team

Peter Leoni // Sr., M• MAAC All-Academic Team

Sam Margetts // Fr., F• MAAC Rookie of the Week (Nov. 2)

Alan McGreal // Sr., F• Preseason All-MAAC Team• MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 2)• All-MAAC First Team• NSCAA All-North Atlantic Third Team• School’s career leader in points (99) and goals (35)

Matt Sprague // Sr., F• MAAC All-Academic Team

Adam Studniarek // Sr., B• MAAC All-Academic Team

Kyle Westerholt // Sr., B• MAAC All-Academic Team

Women’sSoccerBrooke Bandazian // Fr., F• MAAC Rookie of the Week (Oct. 26)• All-MAAC Second Team

Camille Blum // Jr., B• MAAC All-Academic Team

Allison Diaz // So., F• MAAC All-Academic Team

Kathleen DiPaquale // Sr., B• All-MAAC Second Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Laura Ellis // Jr., B• MAAC All-Academic Team

Christina Franceschi // So., B• MAAC All-Academic Team

Dina Gabrielli // So., B• MAAC All-Academic Team

Jenny Griffin // So., F• All-MAAC Second Team

Christina Gullo // So., F• MAAC All-Academic Team

Meagan Jones // Sr., M• MAAC All-Academic Team

Sylvia Kowalski // Sr., F• MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 8)• MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 14)• MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 5)• MAAC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 26)• All-MAAC First Team

Honors and AwardsKasey Makowski // Jr., M• Preseason All-MAAC Team

Daniella Pettinari// Sr., GK• MAAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 19)• MAAC All-Academic Team• NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee

Kelly Reinwald // So., F• Preseason All-MAAC Team• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Caroline Robert // So., GK• MAAC Defensive Player of the Year (Sept. 8)• MAAC All-Academic Team

SoftballMike Rappl // Head Coach - 31st Season• Canisius Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2009

Amanda Baun // Fr., P• MAAC Pitcher of the Week (March 2)• MAAC Pitcher of the Week (March 9)• MAAC Rookie of the Week (April 12)• All-MAAC Second Team

Lauryn Chris // So., OF• MAAC All-Academic Team

Lauren Falzone // So., OF• MAAC All-Academic Team

Paige Freiberger // Jr., 3B• MAAC Player of the Week (March 9)• All-MAAC First Team

Michelle Fridey // Sr., C• Preseason All-MAAC Team• MAAC Player of the Week (March 2)• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team• MAAC All-Tournament Team• ECAC Division I Softball First Team All-Star• CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District I First Team• CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American Third Team

Lizzy Gatto // So., OF• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team

Emily Helbig // Jr., 1B• All-MAAC Second Team• MAAC All-Tournament Team

Lauren Hope // Jr., OF• Preseason All-MAAC Team• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Academic Team• MAAC All-Tournament Team

Katie Lancellotti // So., SS• MAAC All-Academic Team

Caroline Main // So., P• MAAC Pitcher of the Week (May 3)• All-MAAC First Team• MAAC All-Tournament Team

Honors and AwardsKerry Ulmer // Jr., 1B • MAAC All-Academic Team

SynchronizedSwimmingNatalia Tarasova // Sr.• U.S. Collegiate National Champion - Solo event• Honorary Collegiate All-American

Yulia Shepeleva // Sr.• U.S. Collegiate National Champion - “A” Elements• Honorary Collegiate All-American

Jessica Grogan // So.• Mary Jo Ruggieri Scholarship Award winner

Men’sSwimming/DivingCarl Anderson // Sr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

John Kennon // Jr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

John Morphis // Sr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Women’sSwimming/DivingAmina Benman // So.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Andrea Betts // Sr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

Courtney Marcolini // Jr.• MAAC All-Academic Team

VolleyballDanielle Brawn // So., OH• MAAC All-Academic Team

Jasmine Brennan // Jr., MH• MAAC All-Academic Team

Kaela Glenn // Sr., L• MAAC All-Academic Team

Michelle Godfrey // Sr., MH/RS• Golden Grizzly Invitational All-Tournament Team• Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team

Samantha Good // Fr., MH/RS• MAAC Rookie of the Week (Sept. 28)• MAAC Rookie of the Week (Oct. 12)• MAAC Rookie of the Week (Oct. 19)• All-MAAC Second Team

Renne Lettow // Jr., OH• MAAC All-Academic Team

Allyson Severyn // Fr., L• MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 31)• MAAC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 28)• La Salle Invitational All-Tournament Team

Carly Youngman // Jr., DS• MAAC All-Academic Team

Men’s Basketball

Head CoachTom Parrotta

Assoc. Head CoachRob Norris

Assistant CoachDesmond OliverTim Paul

15-17 overall8-10 MAAC

Baseball

Head CoachMike McRae

Assistant CoachesRyan AsisMatt Mazurek

39-21 overall19-5 MAAC

MAAC Regular Season

Champions

Men’s Basketball Highlights

• The Golden Griffins’ 15 wins in 2009-10 are the most for the program since 2000-01.

• Canisius’ eight MAAC wins are two more than the two previous seasons combined, and were the most for the Blue and Gold since 2004-05.

• The Griffs posted a winning record at home for the first time since 2004-05.

• The win over Marist in the first round of the MAAC Tournament gives Canisius a postseason win in six-straight years - the longest active streak of that kind in the league.

• The Griffs became the first school to beat Southern Miss in its annual pre-Christmas tournament when the Blue and Gold de-feated the Golden Eagles 59-56 Dec. 22.

• Canisius ended its five-game losing streak to Buffalo with a 73-71 come-from-behind win at Alumni Arena.

• Frank Turner closed out his career as the school’s all-time leader in career assists (616), games played (125) and career minutes played (4,567), while ranking fourth in career scoring (1,769).

• Tomas Vazquez-Simmons became the school’s all-time leading shot blocker midway through his junior season and will enter his senior with with 211 career blocks, which ranks sixth in MAAC history.

• Turner, Vazquez-Simmons and Greg Log-

ins became the 24th, 25th and 26th play-ers in school history to join the 500-re-bound club.

• Turner was able to earn his undergradu-ate and master’s degree in four years at Canisius.

• A total of six student-athletes earned their undergraduate degrees in three-plus years at Canisius and they will start their final season in Blue and Gold in pur-suit of their master’s degree.

Baseball Highlights

• Canisius won its second MAAC regular-season title in three years and third in program history.

• Canisius advanced to the championship series of the MAAC Championship for the second consecutive season.

• Canisius posted a 39-21 record and now has 116 wins during the last three sea-sons – the most by any team in the North-east and Midwest and 19 more than any other team in the MAAC.

• Canisius had 35 or more wins for the third consecutive season. The Griffs are the only team in the Northeast and one of 23 teams in the country to win 35 or more games in the past three years.

• Junior Steve McQuail was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 30th round of the MLB Draft. McQuail is the fifth Golden Griffin to be drafted in the last three years and first junior to be drafted since 1994.

• McQuail set program records with 89 hits, 21 doubles, 81 RBI and a .768 slugging percentage and ranked in the top 15 na-tionally with the 81 RBI.

• Senior Ian Choy was named an ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-Amer-ican (one of 11 Division I baseball play-ers to receive the honor). Choy is the first Canisius baseball player to be honored since 1997 and first MAAC baseball player to be honored since 2004.

• Seven MAAC players earned all-MAAC honors for the third consecutive season. Coach Mike McRae was named MAAC Coach of the Year for the second time in three years and for the third time in his career.

• Three Golden Griffins were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I First Team – Ian Choy, Perry Silverman and Josh Marshall. Canisius was one of two teams in the country to have three first-team selections.

CrossCountry

Head CoachPeter Osmond

Assistant CoachAileen Hoak

W - 3rd at MAACM - 7th at MAAC

Women’s Basketball

Head CoachTerry Zeh

Assoc. Head CoachBeth O’Boyle

Assistant CoachesTara FlemingJen Gwin

12-19 overall6-12 MAAC

Cross Country Highlights

• The Canisius College women’s cross country team closed out the 2009 sea-son by placing third overall at the MAAC Championships - the program’s best fin-ish since 1997.

• Junior Maura Frauenhofer placed fourth and sophomore Christine Mulvhill fin-ished fifth at the MAAC Championships, the first time Canisius had two women runners place among the top-10 in 12 years.

• The men’s and women’s teams combined to secure the school’s fourth-straight Lit-tle Three Championship.

• The women’s team fnished in the top-five overall at five different races last fall, high-lighted by the team’s second-place finish at the National Catholic Championships in South Bend, Ind. and the program’s team title at the Monmouth Invitational in Long Branch, N.J.

• At the National Catholic race, Frauen-hofer placed 10th in the field of 260 run-ners, the best finish for a Canisius runner at the event since 1991.

• Combined, Canisius earned four MAAC Runner of the Week honors in 2009 after collecting a total of two in the three pre-vous years of the award.

• Senior Vasilis Kariolis won the individual crown at the 2009 Little Three race as the Canisius men’s team took the top-five spots in the race.

• Kariolis posted a personal-best time of 25:40 at the National Catholic Champion-ships and placed 11th overall individually while the Blue and Gold placed ninth as a team, the program’s best finish at the event since 2002.

• A total of 11 student-athletes from the men’s and women’s cross country pro-grams were named MAAC All-Academic.

Women’s Basketball Highlights

• Senior Brittané Russell became the first player in MAAC history – and fifth play-er in NCAA Division I during the past 20 years – to have 1,200 points, 500 re-bounds, 400 assists and 300 steals in her career.

• Canisius extended its NCAA record of consecutive games with a made 3-point-er to 485 games.

• Four players were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team — Ellie Radke, Mic-ayla Drysdale, Tauralee Tenn and Steph-anie MacDonald.

• Canisius won a postseason game for the third consecutive season and seventh time in the last eight seasons.

• Canisius is 63-45 in MAAC games since the 2004-05 season – the third-best re-cord in the MAAC during that timeframe.

• Junior Micayla Drysdale is the program’s all-time leader in 3-point field goal per-centage at 39 percent during her first three seasons.

• Canisius finished 51st in the country in fewest points allowed per game and 35th in 3-point field goals made per game.

• Senior Tasia Lee averaged 6.2 points per game during the 2009-10 season after averaging 1.7 points in her previous three years.

• Senior Ellie Radke averaged career highs in points (11.5), rebounds (6.3), assists (49), blocks (11), steals (29) and games started (29).

• Entering the 2009-10 season, two Ca-nisius players had made more than 10 starts in their career. Eleven different players started a game last season.

Hockey

Head CoachDave Smith

Assistant CoachB.J Adams

17-15-5 overall13-11-4 AHA

Golf

Head CoachTodd Hummel

Fifth Place2010 MAAC

Championships

Hockey Highlights

• Canisius went 17-15-5 during the 2009-10 season, its most wins since the 2000-01 season.

• The Griffs swept a two-game series against rival Mercyhurst in the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2004.

•Six seniors signed professional contracts following the 2009-10 campaign. Carl Hud-son joined the Rochester Americans of the AHL, Dave Cianfrini, Josh Heidinger, Pe-ter MacDougall and Jason Weeks signed ECHL contracts and Andrew Loewen will continue his career in the CHL.

• The Griffs graduated a highly-successful senior class, who set 26 school records during their careers. Heidinger owns the program record with 132 points and 95 assists, while Weeks graduates with a school-best 50 goals.

• Junior Cory Conacher became the first Griff to garner Atlantic Hockey Player of

the Year accolades. Conacher set school records with 53 points and 33 assists and ranked second nationally with 1.51 points per game. The junior was also the only player in the country to rank in the top 30 nationally in both goals and as-sists per game.

• Hudson and junior Vincent Scarsella also earned All-Atlantic Hockey accolades, marking the first time in the program’s history that Canisius had three all-confer-ence honorees.

• Cianfrini highlighted 15 Atlantic Hockey All-Academic selections. Cianfrini posted the highest GPA in the league and was named the 2009-10 Atlantic Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year.

• During the season, Canisius received its first vote in the national poll. Following a split against CCHA foe Ferris State, Ca-nisius earned a vote in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I poll for the first time in program history.

Golf Highlights

• The Canisius golf team wrapped up the 2009-10 year with a fifth-place finish at the MAAC Championship in Orlando, Fla.

• This marked the second-straight year the Golden Griffins placed fifth in the MAAC, which ties for the program’s best finish at the conference’s championship tourna-ment since 2005.

• The Griffs took part in the most challeng-ing schedule in program history last year, facing the likes of Missouri, Kentucky and Indiana.

• Canisius placed second at the annual Little Three event, one stroke behind rival St. Bonaventure.

• Junior Stephen Seeler finished in a three-way tie for first to earn a share of the indi-vidual honors at the Little Three and four Griffs placed among the top-10 in the field.

• The Blue and Gold also took second place at the Bucknell Fall Invitational Sept. 18-19.

• Junior Michael Knott and Seeler each fired a first-round 68 at the Bucknell event, their first collegiate round in the 60s.

• Newcomer Mike Spiotta was the top in-dividual finisher for the Griffs in six differ-ent tournaments.

• Senior Drew Creighton finished his ca-reer as a Griff with 24 top-20 finishes in 34 career events, highlighted by five top-five postings.

• Every Canisius golfer that was eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team qualified in 2009-10, with Creighton earning all-aca-demic honors for the third-straight year.

Women’s Lacrosse

Head CoachScott Teeter

Assistant CoachAshley Wood

10-8 overall5-1 MAAC

Men’s Lacrosse

Head CoachRandy Mearns

Assistant CoachesGreg CampbellJason Levesque

6-7 overall5-3 MAAC

Women’s Lacrosse Highlights

• The women’s lacrosse team compiled a 10-8 record during the 2010 season, the second-most wins in the program’s his-tory.

• The Griffs also went 5-1 during league play, matching the best finish in the pro-gram’s history.

• Canisius earned its third-consecutive trip to the MAAC Tournament for the first time in school history.

• Junior goalie Allison Daley was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Daley finished the season fifth nationally with 10.5 saves per game and 10th with a .501 save percentage.

• Daley was one of seven Griffs to earn all-conference honors, matching the program’s record. In addition, a school-record five Griffs were named to the All-MAAC First Team.

• Daley also anchored a strong Canisius de-fensive unit during the 2010 campaign. Four Griffs earned a total of five MAAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades, matching the rest of the conference teams combined.

• Canisius head coach Scott Teeter was named the coach of the Canadian Un-der-19 National Team. Teeter will lead the team at the FIL World U19 Championship in Hanover, Germany during the summer of 2011.

• The team was named an IWLCA Academic Squad for maintaining a GPA of 3.0, while five Griffs were named to the Academic Honor Roll for owning a GPA of at least 3.5.

Men’s Lacrosse Highlights

• The men’s lacrosse team improved its conference standing to third place in 2010 after a seventh-place finish in 2009.

• The 2010 season highlight for Canisius was an 8-7 overtime victory over instate rival Hobart. The win marked the first vic-tory for the Griffs in 11 all-time meetings with the Statesmen.

• Junior Adam Jones became the first Ca-nisius player to be listed as a candidate for the Tewaaraton Award, the pre-emi-nent lacrosse award presented annually to the player of the year.

• Jones once again led the Canisius offense in 2010, tallying a team-best 40 points, 25 goals and 15 assists. Jones became just the second player in the program’s history and the first since Canisius Hall of Famer Cort Knodel (1994-97) to lead the team in goals in three-straight seasons.

• Jones earned first-team All-MAAC hon-ors for the third-straight season, while defender Matt Barkas was named to the All-MAAC Second Team for the second-

straight campaign.

• Four former and current Griffs played for Team Canada, the defending world champions, at the 2010 Men’s Lacrosse World Championship. Jones, Angus Dine-ley ’07, Kevin Ross ’07 and Matt Vinc ’05 will all represent Canada in Manchester, England.

• Canisius head coach Randy Mearns served as an assistant coach with Canada for the second-straight World Champion-ship.

• Mearns earned induction into Rochester Knightshawks Hall of Fame. A member of the first recruiting class at Canisius, Mearns played seven seasons with Roch-ester and nine total seasons in the Na-tional Lacrosse League.

• In Sept. 2009 graduate Matt Friedman was selected in the sixth round of the NLL Draft by the Buffalo Bandits, marking the third-straight season that a Griff was selected.

Women’s Soccer

Head CoachJim Wendling

Assistant CoachNikki Gabrielli

13-4-3 overall4-3-2 MAAC

Men’s Soccer

Head CoachJim Hesch

Assistant CoachAdam Reekie

5-12-2 overall4-5-0 MAAC

Women’s Soccer Highlights

• The Golden Griffins posted a school-re-cord 13 wins in 2009, highlighted by the best start (7-0-1) through the team’s first eight games.

• Canisius advanced to the semifinal round of the 2009 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championships, the first time the pro-gram history where the team has played in the conference semifinals in back-to-back years.

• The Griffs’ seven road wins are the most in school history for a single-season.

• Forward Sylvia Kowalski became the first player in program history to be honored as the College’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

• Kowalski finished her senior season in Blue and Gold with 39 points on 14 goals and 11 assists, with seven of those goals serving as game-winning tallies.

• Kowalski’s 11 assists set a new Canisius single-season record, and she ended the year ranked 12th in the nation in points per game, 17th in assists per game and 19th in goals scored per game.

• Classmate Kathleen DiPasquale was honored to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-North Atlantic Third Team

• Goalkeeper Daniella Pettinari was Ca-nisius’ nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

• Pettinari, Meagan Jones and Laura Ellis were honored as honorable mentions on the NSCAA Scholar All-East Region Team.

• A total of five Griffs were named to the All-MAAC first and second teams.

Men’s Soccer Highlights

• The Class of 2009 finished their careers with 26 wins, becoming the winningest class in the program’s history. It marks the third-straight season that the men’s soc-cer senior class graduated with the most wins in school history.

• Senior Alan McGreal was named to the All-MAAC First Team, becoming the first players in the program’s history to earn all-conference accolades in each of his four seasons.

• McGreal capped his successful career in 2009 and in the process, rewrote the pro-gram’s record book. McGreal recorded 99 career points, 24 more than the next highest player in school history. He also set program marks with 35 career goals and 29 career assists.

• McGreal tied for the MAAC lead this sea-son with 10 goals and finished second with 24 points.

• Sophomore goalkeeper Adam Miller also topped the MAAC rankings. For the sec-ond-straight season Miller led the confer-ence with 5.40 saves per game in league games.

• International players led the 2009 Ca-nisius squad. The Griffs featured nine in-ternational players from seven countries, accounting for 78.3 percent of the team’s goals (18-23) and 93.3 percent of the team’s assists (14-15).

• Seven different players scored their first collegiate goals for a young Canisius team in 2009, the most since eight net-ted their first career tally in 2005.

• The Griffs went 4-3-1 at home during the 2009 season, marking the sixth time in the last eight years that Canisius has had at least a .500 record at home.

Synchronized Swimming

Head CoachJill Wright

Assistant CoachesLindsey KochLisa Menchetti

3rd in the Nation13-Time

ECAC Champs

Softball

Head CoachMike Rappl

Assistant CoachesKim GriffinPete Scott

34-19 overall13-3 MAAC

MAAC Regular Season

Champions

Synchro Highlights

• The Golden Griffins tied for third at the U.S. Collegiate Nationals for the second-straight year, finishing just behind Ohio State and Stanford.

• The synchronized swimming team se-cured its 13th consecutive ECAC Cham-pionship after the team scored 101 total points in the event, which was hosted by the Univeristy of Pennsylvania in Phila-delphia.

• Senior Natalia Tarasova closed out her final season as a Griff by winning the solo competition at the U.S. Collegiate Nation-al championships, the second-straight year she earned the solo national cham-pionship.

• Fellow senior Yulia Shepeleva earned a national championship in “A” Elements and also placed third overall in the solo event at the U.S. Colliegate Nationals.

• At the ECAC Championships in February, Tarasova and Shepeleva took first and

second place in the solo event, where sophomore teammate Jessica Grogan posted a third-place finish.

• Freshman Missy Andrews and senior Vic-toria Mazur placed second behind the team of Tarasova and Shepeleva in the duet event at the ECAC Championships. The Griffs also earned second and third-place, respectively in the trio competition that weekend as well.

• For the fifth consecutive year, the Griffs won their only home meet of the season by securing the top-spot in the Canisius Invitational.

• Tarasova and Shepeleva were named honorary All-Americans for 2009-10, while Grogan was awarded the Mary Jo Ruggieri Scholarship for her work in the community.

• Former head coach Joanne Wright was named the Collegiate Contributor of the Year by USA Synchro.

Softball Highlights

• The Golden Griffins finished the season with 34 wins, the program’s ninth 30-win season since 1980.

• Canisius claimed a share of the MAAC regular season championship after going 13-3 in league play. The Blue and Gold is 36-4 against MAAC regular season play at home since 2006.

• The Griffs hosted the MAAC Softball Championships in Buffalo for the first time since 2002.

• Canisius advanced to the MAAC Softball Championship round for the 17th time in the last 21 years.

• A total of seven Griffs were named to the All-MAAC all-star units, with five of those players earning first team honors.

• Senior Michelle Fridey was named to the 2010 ECAC Division I First Team All-Star unit after earning All-MAAC First Team accollades.

• Fridey, who earned MAAC All-Tournament honors for the third-straight year, hit .395 with 64 hits, 18 doubles, four triples, five homers, 52 RBI and 47 runs scored. Her 52 RBI set a new single-season RBI mark for the program, breaking the old record which stood since 1985.

• Fridey was also named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Third Team after her senior year.

• Junior Paige Freiberger set a new school record for home runs in a single season with 11 long balls. Prior to the 2010 year, Freiberger had no collegiate career hom-ers.

• Sophomore pitcher Caroline Main and freshman Amanda Baun combined to strikeout 326 opposing batters and end-ed the year with 10 shutouts.

• Head coach Mike Rappl became the first active coach to be inducted into the Ca-nisius Sports Hall of Fame in February.

Volleyball

Head CoachCathy Hummel

Assistant CoachStephanie JansmaRandy Syracuse

11-18 overall8-10 MAAC

Swimming &Diving

Head CoachScott Vanderzell

Assistant CoachesMike SzyprowskiAndrew Goe

M - 7th at MAACW - 8th at MAAC

Volleyball Highlights

• Freshman Samantha Good earned All-MAAC Second-Team honors making her the first Canisius freshman to be named to an all-MAAC team in volleyball in the last 10 seasons.

• Good averaged a team-best 3.30 kills per set against MAAC teams – the most by any freshman in the conference.

• Canisius has a 44-28 record in the MAAC during the past four seasons, the third-best record in the league over that time span.

• Five Golden Griffins were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team.

• Canisius received an NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program public recognition award. The public recogni-tion awards are presented to the best academically performing teams that rank in the top 10 percent within their sport in the NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR).

• The Golden Griffins are the only MAAC volleyball team to receive the honor in 2009-10 and the only MAAC volleyball program to receive the award three times in the last four years. Canisius also re-ceived the award in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

• Junior Renee Lettow had 10 double-doubles (at least 10 digs and 10 kills) in 10 matches on the season — the second-most by a Golden Griffin since the 2005 season.

• Sophomore Janelle Davis was the first Golden Griffin to have 900 or more assists in each of her freshman and sophomore seasons.

• Freshman Allyson Severyn had 554 digs on the season – the most-ever by a Ca-nisius freshman. Severyn also finished 22nd in the country by averaging 5.18 digs per set.

Swimming/Diving Highlights

• The Golden Griffins closed out the 2010 MAAC Swimming and Diving Champion-ships in Baltimore by setting a total of 20 school records through the three-day event.

• The men’s program finished the confer-ence’s championship event with a school-record 268 points, which put the team in seventh place overall.

• In all, 51 lifetime bests were set out of the 72 swims that Canisius swimmers took part in at the MAAC Championships.

• Sophomore Erica Vitale claimed four of the eight broken records for the women’s squad while fellow sophomore Stephen Pochatko had three of the 12 broken marks on the men’s side.

• The men’s program wrapped up the dual meet portion of the 2009-10 slate with five wins, highlighted by a thrilling come-from-behind win over Niagara at home.

• The women’s team was honored for their work in the classroom at the end of the 2009-10 season when the team was cho-sen as a College Swimming Coaches Asc-cociation of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American Team.

• The women’s program was one of 51 col-lege programs in the nation to receive this honor.

• A total of 10 Canisius student-athletes were honored to the MAAC All-Academic Team, with seven of those honorees be-ing on the Canisius women’s roster.

• In May, the MAAC announced that Ca-nisius will co-host the 2011 MAAC Swim-ming adn Diving Championships at the Flickinger Center in downtown Buffalo. Buffalo will be just the third city to host the conference’s premier swimming and diving event since 1997.

Student-Athlete ProgramsEach academic year, the Canisius athletic department prides itself on serving the community, following the Jesuit values set forth by the College’s leadership. Whether its reading to local elementary school chil-dren or volunteering through the Office of Campus Ministry, Canisius’ student-athletes are learning valu-able life lessons while making the Western New York area a better place. Below is just a small sampling of how Canisius’ student-athletes volunteered their free time.

CanisiusCares

The 2009-10 academic year saw the start of the “Canisius Cares” program. In its first year, the “Canisius Cares” program is a partnership between the Canisius ath-letic department and schools throughout Western New York, geared toward providing school visits and game tickets to students from all grade levels that are being rec-ognized for their admirable behavior, their strides in the direction of academic success and their personal commit-ment toward making responsible choices. Canisius student-athletes from a number of sports programs traveled to elementary schools to discuss such topics as dealing with bullies, proper rest and nutrition and the importance of working hard, both in the class-room and in athletic endeavors. The program was started by the Canisius market-ing department and all visits were made with the Canisius mascot, Petey.

StriKeOutCancer

The Canisius softball and baseball teams joined forces with Roswell Park’s Yroswell initiative in an effort to “StriKe Out Cancer” during two home last May at the Dem-ske Sports Complex. The Yroswell program is dedicated to people be-tween the ages of 12 and 26 years old and is affiliated with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. The Yroswell group provides resources for cancer and coping, educa-tion and studies, as well as future careers in medicine and science. On both days, the Canisius teams wore special pink hats, donated by New Era Cap Company, the official hat provider of Canisius athletics, and a number of pink hats were sold to fans, with all proceeds going directly to the Yroswell group. The Canisius softball and baseball teams helped raise close to $3,500 for the Yroswell group.

OtherGreatProjects

In addition to the “Canisius Cares” program, and the baseball and softball teams working with Yroswell, the athletic department takes part in a number of fund-raising efforts throughout the year, including the lacrosse pro-grams’ work with the “Headstrong Foundation”, women’s basketball supporting breast cancer awareness through the national “Pink Zone” program or the men’s basketball team taking part in the Coaches vs. Cancer initiate. Ca-nisius student-athletes are also very active in the Hamlin Park area of Buffalo, helping clean up the neighborhood around campus while interacting with those who share the surroundings with the College.

Frank Turner (right) speaks at Gilmore Elementary School in North Tonawanda, N.Y.

The Golden GriffinWhatisaGriffin?

TheGriffinisamythicalcreatureofsupposedgiganticsizethathasthehead,forelegsandwingsofaneagleandthehindquarters,tailandearsofalion.Theyarewellknownfortheirspeed,abilitytoflyandhavingeyeslikeaneagleaswellasthestrengthandcourageofalion.Griffinshavebeenknownforcenturiesassymbolsofstrengthandvigilance,havebeencalled“TheHoundsofZeus”inGreekmythologyandaresaidtohavemasteryofboththelandandsky.TheyarethoughttobefromIndia,wherethenativesofthelandmadetheirtalonsandclawsintodrinkingcupsbecausethetalonofaGriffinwassaidtodetectpoisoninaliquid.Griffinswouldfindgoldinthemountainsandlinetheirnestswithitandasaresult,wereforcedtobecomegreatguardiansoftheneststokeepthehuntersaway.AccordingtoCharlesA.BradyinCanisiusCollegeTheFirstHundredYears,“ThoughtheproblemsofwhenandwheretheGriffinbeganhisreignasKingHeraldoftheCanisiusCollegeofArmsarenoteasilysettled,thewhenceissimpletoestablish.OurGriffinflewtousfromtheprowofLaSalle’slostGriffon,theFlyingDutchmanoftheGreatLakes,whichdisappearedaftermakingasafevoyagefromtheNiagaraRivertotheStraitofDetroit.LaSalle’sill-fatedcaravel,thefirstshipeverbuiltonAmerica’sinlandseas,withits45tonsandfivecannons,haditsbeakheadadorned‘withaflyingGriffin,andaneagleaboveit,’inhonorofthetwoheraldicbeastsonthearmorialbearingofthegreatFrontenac.”TheGriffinbecamethesymbolforCanisiusathleticsinthemid-1930s.SteveWellerwroteinTheBuffaloNewsJan.22,1962,“YoucanhaveyourChihuahuas,Piranhas,HornedFrogsandIguanas.Thebestall-aroundathleticmascotinbusinesstodayhastobethebeastadoptedbyCanisiusCollege–theGoldenGriffin.”