OWLnews FALL UPDATE 2012

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1 OWLnews FALL UPDATE 2012 Hall of Fame Inductees for the Team behind the Team OWL CLUB Former gymnast Sandra Thielz 68 and diver Patrick Tully 90 were selected as the newest members for induction into the SCSU Athletic Alumni Hall of Fame. The pair was formally honored at the Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Luncheon on Oct. 12. One of the most recognizable figures within the U. S. gymnastics community,thielz began the journey towards a legendary career while a student-athlete at Southern. She was a four-year member of the women s gymnastics squad ( ) who also served as a team captain for the Owls. She was a two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion on the bars and a key member of the 1968 team that placed third at the National Collegiate Women s Gymnastics Championships. Thielz was the head women s gymnastics coach at West Chester University from Over that stretch, she led the Golden Rams to five NCAA National Championships appearances, one NCAA Regional championship and an overall mark of A two-time NCAA Regional Coach of the Year, Thielz was the head coach for the United States at the 1981 World University Games in Bucharest, Romania. She is also an internationally renowned gymnastics judge who has filled that role at multiple Olympic Games. Thielz, also an assistant professor in kinesiology at West Chester from , holds a master s degree in physical education from WCU. Tully was a four-time NCAA Division II national champion in diving during a distinguished career for the Owls. He claimed the NCAA individual crowns on both the one- and three-meter boards in consecutive years (1987, 1988) and was a Division II record holder on both boards at the conclusion of his collegiate career. In all, Tully was a five-time All-American and a six-time New England champion. He also held the New England records on both boards. Tully went on to compete in the Nike World Masters Games and was a world champion on both boards in the 35-and-under classification. He completed a master s degree from Florida International University and also achieved certified country club manager status. From the Director of Athletics Dear Owl Club Members: I offer my greetings as we are in full swing for the academic year. Our fall teams collectively enjoyed a strong season, and winter sports are all underway with either preseason or regular-season action. There have been several notable team and individual performances on the playing fields thus far. Our men s and women s soccer, football and men s and women s cross country teams were among those receiving regional or national ranking consideration this fall. In addition, Vaughn Magee of the football team rushed for 187 of his 297 total yards in the fourth quarter of a win over Saint Anselm, which was the highest single-quarter total in NCAA Division II history. That noteworthy effort earned mentions in numerous outlets, including the Boston Globe. Sarah Cebry finished the month of September as the Division II leader in goals and points and compiled the most productive offensive campaign in the history of our storied field hockey program. Several key initiatives on our campus have also provided excitement during the academic year. The opening of the Fan Zone in the Barnes and Noble/ SCSU Bookstore in the Michael J. Adanti Student Center provides a first-class venue for our constituents to select from an array of athletic-specific merchandise, apparel and novelties. I would like to thank our campus administration and the team at the Bookstore for all of their support in making this vision become a reality. The completion of Phase II of facility improvements at Moore Fieldhouse has also been welcomed with great enthusiasm. The project included the creation of individual team locker rooms, as well as a department conference room. We look forward to beginning the Director continued on Page 7.

2 Former Owls Raymond DeFrancesco and Clifford Smith Honored Raymond DeFrancesco Two former Southern studentathletes Raymond DeFrancesco 53 and Clifford Smith 73 were recognized by the university for contributions to the SCSU community at the Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Luncheon on Oct. 12. DeFrancesco was recognized with the Charlene Hill Riccardi Alumni Service Award, while Smith was named the Outstanding Alumnus in the School of Arts and Sciences. DeFrancesco served Southern in six decades as a student-athlete, coach and director of athletics. As a studentathlete, he was a captain for the 1952 football team and the 1953 baseball team. Following graduation, he spent two years as a Naval officer during the Korean War before earning a master s degree from Fairfield University and teaching in the East Haven school system. He returned to SCSU in 1956 and entered the coaching ranks as head freshman football coach, assistant football coach and freshman baseball coach. Clifford Smith DeFrancesco took over as the Owls director of athletics in 1974, a post that he held for the next 18 years. During his tenure as AD, he helped developed the second coming of the Owl Varsity Club. The department made tremendous strides under DeFrancesco s leadership, including extensive facility improvements and numerous team and individual NCAA national titles. He was a 1989 inductee into the Follow the Owls via Social Media OWL CLUB SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame and has also been inducted into the Branford Sports Hall of Fame. Smith was one of the top receivers on the football team and a standout on the track and field squad while a student-athlete at SCSU. After completing his undergraduate degree, he attended the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree. Smith then embarked on a distinguished career as an artist, educator and coach. Since 1976, his accomplishments have included numerous solo and group exhibits at galleries coast to coast, including New York City, Florida, and San Diego. His work can be viewed in more than 20 public collections at various corporations and universities, including Yale, and also appears in over 40 selected references. Smith also served as a coach for high school athletes and an art teacher in New Jersey for more than 15 years. Smith later let his passion for art team with athletics again, when he contributed his artistic talents to Southern by twice painting the Owl logo at half court in Moore Fieldhouse. o45 Fans can keep up with the Southern Athletic Department via its Twitter and YouTube pages, in addition to a redesigned official athletics website, SouthernCTowls.com. Owls fans can follow their teams as games progress with Twitter updates. The department s YouTube page provides an array of student-athlete features, as well as game highlights and post-game interviews. In addition, regular updates are available through the Southern athletics Facebook page. Fans can check out more on these efforts at SouthernCTowls.com 2

3 Leading by Example Sarah Cebry (above) of the field hockey team and Mario DiMiceli of the men s soccer team are the SCSU September Student-Athletes of the Month. Junior Sarah Cebry (Burlington, Conn.) of the field hockey team and senior Mario DiMiceli (Vilers- Le-Bouillet, Belguim) of the men s soccer team have been named as the Southern Athletes of the Month for September. Cebry put together a series of performances that resulted into arguably the most productive singlemonth in Owls field hockey history. By month s end, she led all Division II players in goals (17), points (36), goals per game (1.7) and points per game (3.6). On two occasions during the month, Cebry set a new Southern Connecticut single-game record with five goals in a single contest. With two goals in a Sept. 29 contest against UMass-Lowell, she moved into the top spot on the Owls career goal scoring chart with her 37th tally. In addition, Cebry has also set the program s new singleseason goal benchmark. DiMiceli led the Owls into the national rankings by month s end and paced the team with five goals and 10 points in September. He netted a hat trick in the season opener against Saint Rose and added the gamewinning goal in a key regional victory over Dowling. 3

4 New Track/Cross-country Coach Brings In-depth Experience Melissa Stoll is the new head women s cross country/track and field coach at SCSU after serving as an assistant coach at Manhattan College, Iowa State University and the University of California-Riverside. Melissa Stoll has been named head women s cross country/track and field coach at Southern. Stoll joins the Owls with more than a decade s worth of Division I experience as a studentathlete and coach, including stints in the Big 12, Big West and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Melissa has clearly distinguished herself as one of the rising coaching stars in the college track and field ranks, said Director of Athletics Patricia Nicol. Her experiences as a studentathlete and coach at UC-Riverside, Iowa State and most recently, Manhattan College, have provided an outstanding foundation that will allow her to excel in her new role leading our program. I am thrilled to welcome Melissa to the Southern Connecticut State family. Stoll spent the last four years as assistant cross country/track and field coach at Manhattan, where she was involved in all facets of the program, including practice and competition oversight, alumni relations, academic monitoring, compliance and equipment. She also served as the program s recruiting coordinator and helped the Jaspers to 11 combined MAAC Championships. Stoll also mentored more than 100 MAAC individual champions and a dozen NCAA Track and Field Regional qualifiers. Academically, Stoll coached two Academic All-Americans, six USTFCCCA All-Academic selections and was a part of six teams that earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. She also served as assistant meet director for the Manhattan College High School Cross Country Invitational, the largest high school competition in the United States with more than 13,000 participants. Before joining the Jaspers staff, Stoll spent one year at Iowa State as an assistant coach. While with the Cyclones, she took part in recruiting, daily planning and program implementation and also coordinated team travel, equipment and compliance. Stoll broke into coaching at her alma mater, the University of California- Riverside, during the academic year after a decorated four-year career as a student-athlete. She served as a two-year team captain for the Highlanders and was a member of the team s nationally ranked 4x800 meter and distance medley relay units. Stoll is a member of the NCAA Women s Coaches Academy and the National Association of Collegiate Women s Athletics Administrators (NACWAA). She was previously selected to participate in USA Track & Field s Emerging Elite Coaches Camp and is certified through USA Track and Field (Level I) and the USTFCCCA (Endurance). She holds a bachelor s degree in sociology from UC-Riverside and a master s degree in teaching from National University. 4 The Women s cross-country program ran to a third place finish at the Northeast-10 Conference Championship.

5 Volleyball Program Ascending To New Heights When Syriah Celestine, Kimberly Lachowicz and Vanessa Sullivan arrived on the Southern campus as freshmen in the fall of 2009, the trio was joining a volleyball team that had just come off its most successful season since During the past three years, however, this group has helped to mentor and mold a group that has developed into a formidable presence within the Northeast-10 Conference and on a regional stage. The Owls secured their fifth consecutive winning season this fall. It s the first time that the program has been able to make that claim in more than 30 years. Our senior class is a special group, said Owls coach Lisa Barbaro. They have been a big part of the successful growth of this program. I have enjoyed watching them grow as people and student-athletes. They are very talented and have really stepped up in their leadership role this season. The impact of the Owls seniors is unquestionable. But, the team has been able to excel in part to contributions from 12 players on the roster. A 13-game winning streak from Sept set the Owls off and running. The three-game losing streak that followed which also included an injury that sidelined starter Lauren McVey and forced Barbaro to juggle her lineup helped the team refocus on the stretch run. It was a little bump in the road, Lachowicz said. For those three games we were still trying to figure out how to mesh a new lineup. We had spent the last two and a half months meshing together a different lineup. It took those three games to adapt to a new lineup, and it was a little bit of a wake-up call. We needed to go back to basics and to go back to what we were doing during that 13-game stretch. Even with early season success, the Owls remained focused on what was ahead of them post-season opportunities in the Northeast-10 and NCAA tournament. SCSU qualified for the NE-10 Tournament in two of the past three years, but had yet to qualify for the NCAA Tournament coming into the season. The Owls entered 2012 with five returning starters. Lachowicz has been a four-year starter at the setter position and will likely eclipse the 4,000 assist mark for her career by season s end. Sullivan, a four-year starter at libero, will finish her career approaching the 2,000 dig mark. Both marks are new program records. Junior Sarah Beres was an All- Conference, All-Region and All-ECAC pick last year and continues to provide a presence at the net. McVey was a twotime ECAC Player of the Week this year before suffering the aforementioned injury. Celestine has also developed into one of the top threats at the net for the Owls. The emergence of several reserves and newcomers has proved equally important to the team s strong play. Sophomores Natasha Carlbert and Madison Featherston have responded well with increased action this season. Junior transfer Jade Black, along with freshmen Morgan Carman, Taylor Carlson, Kelly Gunneson and Olivia Lathrop, have also made immediate contributions. I am very pleased with the character, work ethic, and talent of our newcomers, Barbaro said. They immediately filled some key positions for our team and provided us with more depth. Our returning players have bonded quickly with our new players allowing us to be successful. They have a great working relationship. Beres also noted the importance of team chemistry as a factor in the success of the team. I think that all of us worked hard in the offseason and now during the season to get better, she said. That has helped us to bring it together on the court. We re playing as one instead of as six individuals, which really helps. Captains Kimberly Lachowicz (#10) and Sarah Beres (#17) have been key contributors to the Owls success this season. The volleyball program won 13 consecutive matches from Sept and contended for a NCAA Tournament berth this year. 5

6 Magee Etches Name In NCAA Record Books Junior running back Vaughn Magee was already having a good day on the ground through three quarters of a Sept. 29 contest against St. Anselm. But, his accomplishments in the final 15 minutes, made the day a truly memorable one. Magee totaled 187 of his 297 total yards in the fourth quarter alone to set a new Division II record for yards in a quarter. The old mark of 184 yards in a quarter was set by Stefan Logan of South Dakota in a game against Truman on Sept. 3, Magee also scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help key an Owls comeback and turn a deficit into a victory. In all, Magee finished with 30 carries, 297 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He also caught one pass for 15 yards to boost his final all-purpose yard total to 312. Thanks to Magee s performance, Southern now has the NCAA Division II individual single-game, single-half and single-quarter records. Previously, Jarom Freeman rushed for 246 yards in the first half of a Nov. 2, 2007 game against Bryant in which he finished with 418 Vaughn Magee (#25, far right) sets a new NCAA Division II single-quarter record after rushing for 187 of his 297 total yards in a Sept. 29 win over St. Anselm. yards to set new Division II marks in both of those categories. For his efforts, he was named a Division II Offensive Player of the Week by the Beyond College Sports Network, as the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston weekly Division II/III Gold Helmet Award winner, and as the Northeast-10 Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Out and About Owls Continue To Excel In The Community Community outreach has remained at the forefront of the efforts of Southern studentathletes and coaches during the course of the fall semester. The Owls have volunteered nearly 1,000 hours since the start of the academic year. The department has continued its partnerships with several area organizations, including the New Haven Public Schools, the American Cancer Society and the Boys and Girls Club. In addition, SCSU student-athletes have also been active with drives, such as those benefitting the Connecticut Food Bank and our military members. The women s lacrosse team poses for a photo while assisting at the annual Ronald D. Herron Southern Day of Service event. 6

7 Sport Shorts SCSU, NAACP Host Harmony Classic in Conjunction with Football Contest Against St. Augustine s Southern in conjunction with the NAACP of Connecticut, hosted the Harmony Classic at the football contest between the Owls and St. Augustine s University on Sept. 15. The event embraced the NCAA Division II community engagement mission to develop students and communities by actively engaging in shared experiences and the NAACP s mission to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racebased discrimination. The day s events featured an array of activities, including a healthfair, tailgate competition, NAACP voter registration and a Greek Fraternity and Sorority Step and Strolling Exhibition. New Kid in the Bookstore The Fan Zone, the newest addition to the Barnes and Noble SCSU Bookstore, was unveiled in late summer. Specializing in athletics-specific merchandise, apparel and novelties, the Fan Zone was formed in a combined effort between representatives from the SCSU administration, athletic department and Barnes and Noble. The Fan Zone currently offers a wide range of products in-store, with a full inventory to also be available online in the coming months. Director continued from Page 1. rooms, as well as a department conference room. We look forward to beginning the third and final phase in the near future. Our campus community, along with the NAACP of Connecticut, rallied together in mid-september to host the first-ever Harmony Classic. This event truly embodied the spirit of all that is good among shared partnerships within a collegiate atmosphere. It was a pleasure seeing everyone work together to put forth a tremendous finished product that was thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance. Continuing with the community theme, our student-athletes continue to align their own individual efforts with the university mission of exemplary community outreach and engagement. Thus far this fall, they have volunteered nearly 1,000 hours of their time to ventures both on and off-campus. Thank you for your continued support of Owls athletics. I hope that you and your family have an enjoyable holiday season and I look forward to seeing you on campus for a home contest this winter. Go Owls! Patricia D. Nicol Director of Athletics 7

8 Department of Athletics 125 Wintergreen Ave. New Haven, CT NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEW HAVEN, CT- PERMIT NO OWL CLUB LAST ISSUE! This will be the final issue of the Owl Club Newsletter that will be distributed via traditional mail. All future newsletters will be sent via . All individuals who are currently receiving the Owl Club Newsletter are asked to visit SouthernCTowls.com and click on the Owl Club link to register for electronic newsletter reception. Joining the Owl Club can make the difference of a lifetime! Please join other alumni, former Southern athletes, parents, and friends in supporting our student-athletes. Make a gift today by returning the envelope provided or visiting us online at Our athletes depend on and are thankful for your generous support! For additional information about the Owl Club, please contact us at