This Week in UAlbany Athletics: April 13

ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany athletic programs host a busy week of events, featuring six of UAlbany's spring sports. 

Tuesday, April 14

The Great Danes will take on Siena for the fifth time this season in a last-minute add to the schedule. UAlbany previously hosted its crosstown rival in a doubleheader on March 11. The Saints won the first game, 5-4, before the second game was called early due to rain. Most recently, Siena hosted the Great Danes for a doubleheader in Loudonville (April 8). The teams split the results with UAlbany winning the first, 5-3, in eight innings and giving head coach Chris Cannata her 900th career win. Siena closed the doubleheader with a 5-4 win.

Overall, the Saints are 20-14 with a 12-4 record in MAAC play.  Emma Peterson leads from the batter's box with a .387 average, 43 hits, seven doubles, seven home runs, and 27 RBI. The team's top pitcher, Gracie Goewey is tied with Peterson with a .387 batting average while ranking high on the team with 29 hits, five doubles, four home runs, and 17 RBI. Goewey owns a 2.41 ERA with 11 complete games, including four shutouts, 104.2 total innings pitched, and 108 strikeouts.

UAlbany enters the midweek matchup coming off a split four-game stretch, showing offensive consistency throughout the lineup. The Great Danes are hitting .275 over the last four games with 36 hits and 22 runs, led by John Vitucci (.385), Cooper Loyal (.364), and Tre Mariano (.353). The offense has produced up and down the order, but the focus this week will be tightening up on the mound after a high-scoring weekend, with an emphasis on limiting walks and finishing innings cleanly.

CCSU comes in as a familiar midweek opponent out of the Northeast Conference. The Blue Devils hold a slight edge in the all-time series, and the two teams met as recently as last season. CCSU typically plays a disciplined style and will look to capitalize on scoring opportunities, presenting another solid test in a quick turnaround game.

The Great Danes (7-4, 5-0 America East) return to Casey Stadium this Tuesday for a special midweek matchup against cross-town rival Siena. This year's meeting is dubbed the "LarGer Than Life Game," celebrating the enduring life and legacy of Liam Gleason. A beloved figure in the Capital District, Gleason was a standout player and assistant coach for UAlbany before serving as the head coach at Siena. In his final act of selflessness, Liam was an organ donor, a choice that saved lives and continues his legacy of giving. To honor this gift, Donate Life New York State will be in attendance at the game to share information and provide opportunities for fans to register as donors.

UAlbany enters the contest on a five-game winning streak following a 12-9 victory over Vermont this past weekend. The offense remains one of the most efficient in the country, led by Silas Richmond, the top active point scorer in Division I. The Great Danes are currently averaging 12.0 goals per game and have been dominant in conference play, but they now shift focus to this emotional non-conference rivalry.

Friday, April 17

The UAlbany track and field programs host their annual meet, the Bobbi Palma Spring Classic, this week. Field events, men's hammer throw and women's javelin throw, will begin at 3:00 pm. The senior ceremony, to honor all graduating Great Danes, will begin at 3:30 pm, along with women's long jump. Track events, beginning with the 4x100m relay, will follow the ceremony and begin at 4:00 pm. Vertical jumps and the remaining throwing events will begin after javelin has been completed.

The Great Danes come into the meet with several student-athletes ranked in the region. Amelia Benjamin (HJ, 35th) and Lalenii Grant (DT, 10th) lead the teams as national leaders. As combined programs, UAlbany has 13 student-athletes in the top 50 of the NCAA East - Steve Hines (800m, 44th), Jacob Smith (1500m, 38th), Brinesha Derrick-Bain (400mH, 38th), Jed Elmbarki (3000mSC, 44th), Benjamin (HJ, 14th), Samir Gardner (LJ, 32nd), Marissa Gordon (LJ, 38th), Leonard Durau (TJ, 28th), Grant (DT, 6th), Keegan Collins (HT, 26th), Beatriz Mora Herencia (JT, 43rd), Arlan Wright (Dec, 41st), and Matthew DeCicco (Dec, 43rd). The Great Danes hold the America East's best mark in six women's events and six men's events.

Saturday, April 18

The UAlbany women's rowing is set to take part in the NYS Collegiate Championships on Saturday, April 18 in Saratoga, N.Y. on Fish Creek. UAlbany Women's Rowing is coming off a weekend in which the team competed at the Knecht Cup Regatta and showed a great outing in the Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Eight categories. In the Second Varsity Eight Final 4, the Great Danes secured a 4th-place finish with a time of 07:33.38, finishing just ahead of La Salle. The Varsity Eight boat also showed grit, placing 4th in their semi-final with a time of 07:28.20 and earned a spot in Final 2, where they placed sixth in a time of 7:14.96.

UAlbany continues its week with a four-game series against Siena, highlighted by Saturday’s lone home contest at Varsity Field. The Great Danes will look to carry over their offensive momentum while finding more consistency on the mound as they continue non-conference play.

Siena enters as a familiar regional opponent out of the MAAC, bringing added intensity to the matchup. The Saints have proven capable of generating offense and playing in close games, setting up another competitive series between the two programs.

UAlbany and Siena continue one of the Capital Region’s most familiar matchups, with the Great Danes holding the recent edge, including wins in each of the last two meetings.

The Great Danes will host Bryant for their second weekend series against the conference-foe. As a team, UAlbany is 20-14 on the season with a 7-5 conference record. The Great Danes are currently ranked 12th in the nation with 1.94 doubles per game and 16th with a 2.55 strikeout-walk ratio.

Freshman Katie Parisi leads the team with a .381 batting average, 40 hits, 20 doubles, and 30 RBI. She is second on the team with four home runs. Parisi is currently the national leader in total doubles as well as doubles per game (0.65). Senior Sara Anderson is fifth in the nation with 0.29 sacrifice bunts per game (nine total). As a team, the Great Danes have five active players hitting over .300 - Parisi, junior Mary Kate Murray, Anderson, freshman Julia Pike, and senior Kasey Conn. Murray is the team leader with five homers while sitting behind Parisi with 20 RBI. Junior Taylor Quinn holds a team-high two triples and is close behind Murray with 19 RBI.

In the circle, Hayley Wieczerzak leads with a 2.23 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 66.0 innings pitched, including five complete games. She holds opposing batters to a team-low .184 batting average. Fellow sophomore Hailey Errichiello has seen the most time in the circle with 15 starts, seven complete games, including two shutouts, and 76.0 innings pitched. Just over a week ago, Errichiello was one out away from a perfect game when CCSU earned two seventh-inning hits.

Sunday, April 19

A pregame senior ceremony will take place before the final game of the weekend series and the final home game of the season. UAlbany will honor a class of four, all of which have been Great Danes since stepping on campus as freshman in the fall of 2022 - Sara Anderson, Kasey Conn, Deanna Grahek, and Natasha Mendez. 

Following the ceremony, UAlbany takes on Bryant, a team with a 15-18 overall record and a 12-3 conference record. Winning each series contested, Binghamton, UMass Lowell, and UAlbany have each tallied one win against the Bulldogs and stopped the possibility of a sweep in all three weekend contests. Six additional wins came from a UMBC forfeit in six games.

Bryce Clendenin leads the Bulldogs with a .375 batting average, seven doubles, three home runs, and 20 RBI. Alissa West (.353) and Arrianna Williams (.310) are also hitting above .300. Williams has stolen at a team-high 10 bases in 14 attempts. Gabriella Gesualdo is close behind Clendenin with 17 RBI off 22 hits, including three doubles, one triple, and three homers. Maddy Wachter leads the Bulldogs pitchers with a 3.12 ERA in a team-high 83.0 innings, including nine complete games. With an 8-4 record, she has pitched 37 strikeouts. Brooke Tracy (64.2 IP, 8 starts) and Lexi Powell (37.2 IP, 10 starts) have also spent a significant amount of time in the circle.

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