Top 15 Stories of 2015
As the calendar is about to change to 2016 the sports information department looked at the top highlights/stories of 2015. 2015 was another great year to be a Pioneer. Looking forward to more outstanding stories in 2016.
USCAA Championship Success: Four Pioneer teams qualified and competed at a USCAA Championship. The women’s basketball team made their first trip to the Nationals and advanced to the semifinals, the volleyball team made their second straight trip and finished 4th, the women’s soccer team appeared in the national championships for the third straight year and finished tied for 5th, and the men’s cross country team finished 5th. The wrestling team competed at the USCAA Invitational and finished 3rd.
ECAC Success: For the second year in a row, the volleyball team played in the ECAC Upstate/Metro Championship and advanced to the semifinals. The track & field team had representatives in both the indoor and outdoor championships.
Student-Athlete Athletic Honors: Nine Pioneers earned USCAA All-American honors, 11 were named All-USCAA on the football field, and one was named an ECAC All-Star.
Student-Athlete Academic Honors: 25 Pioneer student-athletes earned USCAA All-Academic honors for having competed in athletics for more than one year and maintaining above a 3.5 GPA.
New Coaches/Faces: Jarod Dodson took over the football program, Jonathan Hoover took over the men’s soccer & lacrosse programs, and Amy Plank took over the softball program.
A new staff of football coaches, Byron Thomas, Andrew Strobel, Tony Spencer, Anthony Echols, Andy Whitaker, and Dan Levy joined Coach Dodson’s staff. Marc Agnello became the college’s strength and conditioning coach and Michele Cole stepped into the athletic secretary position.
First Wins: Dodson, Hoover and Plank all registered their first wins as the leader of their team. Dodson and the football team beat Maranatha Baptist 34-18, Hoover and the men’s soccer team defeated Waynesburg 2-1, and Plank and the softball team defeated SUNY Delhi 8-0. The women’s swimming team earned their first victory in the NCAA era on November 21st when they defeated Wells College 110-97.
Giving Pioneers: The Pioneers were part of numerous civic engagement projects this past year that helped organizations like the Special Olympics, Habit for Humanity, Community Blood Bank Blood Drives, American Cancer Society Relay Run, and Allegany County Cancer Services to name only a few.
Athletic director Kelly Higgins also got in the giving mood and donated his kidney to his friend and former teammate Doug Smith. (http://www.alfredstateathletics.com/athletics/genrel/AD_Press_Releases/Higgins_to_Donate_Kidney & http://www.alfredstateathletics.com/athletics/genrel/AD_Press_Releases/Higgins_to_Donate_Kidney_-_Follow_Up)
Four Year Pioneers: The athletic department honored the first 16 student-athletes that competed at Alfred State for four year during the end-of-the-awards ceremony.
Milestones: Student-athletes and coaches hit some impressive milestones this past year.
- Haley Witchella eclipsed the 1,000 point mark and became the all-time leading scorer (1,331 points) in women’s basketball history.
- Tommy Hutson reached the 1,000 point plateau to become the first player in Coach Jusianiec’s era to do so.
- Victoire Kothor rewrote the history book in track & field setting new school records for the weight throw and shot put in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
- Gene Doorley registered his 300th victory at Alfred State on October 21st vs. Penn College.
NCAA DIII Process Advancement: Alfred State officially completed year one of the provisional membership process following the 2014-15 school year and is now onto year two. (http://www.alfredstateathletics.com/athletics/genrel/AD_Press_Releases/Alfred_State_Advances_in_NCAA_Process)
Pool Improvements: The swimming pool got a fresh look with a new scoreboard, new scoring system, new lights, and fresh paint.
New Locker Room Plans: Plans have been started and construction will begin for a new locker room facility at Pioneer Stadium. The locker room will allow for outdoor teams to have a space closer to their fields to get ready for practice/games. The new facility should be ready for the start of the 2017 school year.
Lions Call on Williams: All-time leading rusher Rasheed Williams caught the attention of the NFL. He participated in three pro days including one held at Alfred State before signing a free agent deal with the Detroit Lions. Williams participated in off season training camp with the Lions.
Retirements: Football coach Mick Caba retired in February and athletic secretary Sandy Kinnerney retired in September. Long-time track & field & cross country coach Gary Moore announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2015-16 school year.
Alfredstateathletics.com Gets New Look: The athletic department launched a refreshed looked to www.alfredstateathletics.com this fall. Over 4 million hits were registered in September and every month in 2015 had at least 1 million hits.
