2011-12 Manhattan College Women's Tennis Yearbook

September 17 rIDer* 12 p.m. 18 mONmOUtH 12 p.m. 23-24 at Bill & Sandra Moore Invitational (Annapolis, Md.) 9 a.m.

OctOber 2 at Fordham 12 p.m. 5 at Fairfield* 3 p.m. 16 at Holy Cross 12 p.m. 21-22 at ITA Regionals (New Haven, Conn.) 8 a.m.

FebrUary 3 at NJIT 6 p.m. 18 vs. Seton Hall (Annapolis, Md.) 6 p.m. 19 at Navy 12 p.m. 26 HartFOrD 5:30 p.m.

marcH 3 prOVIDeNce (riverdale tennis club) 6:30 p.m. 23 at Army 6 p.m. 30 LOyOLa* (riverdale tennis club) 4 p.m.

aprIL 3 SIeNa* 4:30 p.m. 11 St. FraNcIS (Ny) 4:30 p.m. 12 SaINt peter’S* 4:30 p.m. 14 bryaNt 12 p.m. 15 NIaGara* 12 p.m. 17 marISt* 4:30 p.m. 21-22 at MAAC Championships (West Windsor, N.J.)

*-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matchHome matches in CAPS played at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center unless noted

1M a n h a t t a n C o l l e g e 2 0 1 1 - 1 2 t e n n i s

2011-12 season preview

Playing a schedule that saw all but three of its 17 dual matches on the road, the Manhattan College women’s tennis team struggled through a 4-13 campaign in 2010-11. however, that schedule flips this season, as the Jaspers play at home 12 times in 18 outings, including its final seven matches. head Coach scott Blumberg hopes that the long stretch to end the season will give the Jaspers momentum and propel them into the Metro atlantic athletic Conference (MaaC) tournament.

Five of Manhattan’s primary singles players, led by no. 1 lili Johnson, return from a season ago. now a junior, Johnson has been the Jaspers’ top singles player since her arrival in Riverdale, and she picked up six wins in the no. 1 position last season. in doubles, Johnson teamed with four different partners. she joined forces with Brianna turano late in the season, and the duo posted a 3-1 record. they’ll likely be Manhattan’s top tandem in 2011-12.

turano led the Jaspers with seven singles wins last season. she appeared in three different lineup spots as a freshman, posting a 5-4 record in the no. 6 position. Perhaps

the best doubles player on the squad, she teamed with Christina ton at no. 3 doubles 13 times, going 7-6 overall, before ending the season as Johnson’s partner.

ton and fellow senior hilary Valenzuela, the team captains, have been the heart and soul of the squad for the past four years. Blumberg can pencil ton into any position in the lineup. last season, she played at least two matches at four different spots, grabbing a win in each. ton’s just as versatile in doubles. she played at no. 3 doubles in all 17 matches, recording a team-high eight doubles victories with four different partners. Valenzuela is the Jaspers’ primary no. 2 singles player, and she saw action at no. 1 in two matches last season, as well. Both players are looking to have a big senior season.

the fifth returning regular is junior stephanie tsao. tsao primarily filled the no. 4 spot in the singles lineup last season. she also tallied six doubles wins, playing mostly with Valenzuela in the no. 2 position. tsao battled through injuries last year and will likely be limited to singles in 2011-12. sophomore Megan Maffei, who joined

the team as a walk-on last season, gives Blumberg another viable option in both singles and doubles.

Blumberg has also enhanced the roster with a trio of talented freshmen, each of who is capable of making an immediate impact. Caitlin Bricketto figures to jump into the singles lineup right away. a native of Coral springs, Fla., Bricketto comes to Manhattan after spending the last few years training at the prestigious evert tennis academy. as a senior, alyssa Rosello helped garden City high school win a conference championship. she also regularly played in Usta-sanctioned events, earning the no. 2 junior ranking in long island. Catherine Clark posted a 15-1 record and advanced to the conference quarterfinals last year at the Bacon academy in Connecticut, where she was named first team all-county three times.

in what figures to be a tight MaaC race, the Jaspers were picked sixth in the conference’s preseason poll. the top four teams in the MaaC standings will advance to the annual MaaC tournament, which moves to a new location this season—Mercer County Park in West Windsor, n.J.


name Class HT. Hometown/previous school

Bricketto, Caitlin Fr. 5-4 Coral springs, Fla./Kaplan College Prep

Clark, Catherine Fr. 5-3 salem, Conn./Bacon academy

Johnson, lili Jr. 5-5 tulsa, okla./Booker t. Washington

Maffei, Megan so. 5-3 stony Point, n.Y./albertus Magnus (Caldwell)

Rosello, alyssa Fr. 5-10 garden City, n.Y./garden City

ton, Christina sr. 5-1 Milipitas, Calif./archbishop Mitty

tsao, stephanie Jr. 5-8 scarsdale, n.Y./Yonkers

turano, Brianna sr. 5-3 nutly, n.J./Mt. st. Dominic

Valenzuela, hilary sr. 5-4 Mesa, ariz./Red Mountain

Head Coach: scott Blumberg (south Florida ’82), 6th season

2011-12 rosTer

m a n H a T T a n 2 0 1 1 - 1 2 T e n n i s

scott BlumbergHead Coach • Sixth Season (South Florida ’82)

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now in his sixth season as head coach of the women’s tennis program, scott Blumberg came to Riverdale with an accomplished background in tennis and in the field of education. Blumberg is currently the Dean of students at P.s. 93 in the Bronx, and he has worked for the new York City Board of education for 20 years.

he attended the University of south Florida, where he was a standout member of the Bulls’ tennis team and earned a B.a. in health education. Upon graduating from south Florida, Blumberg played on the professional tour for several years. he has also held several different national and sectional rankings over the years.

Before coming to Manhattan College, Blumberg was a tennis pro at Club Fit at Jefferson Valley and the director of tennis at twin oaks swim and tennis Club in Chappaqua, n.Y.


Christina Ton5-1 • Senior • Milipitas, Calif. (Archbishop Mitty)

4

2010-11: team captain…named to the MaaC all-academic team…Won matches in four different singles positions…Played at no. 3 doubles in all 17 matches, primarily with Brianna turano…Went 8-9 overall in doubles, including 7-6 with turano…started the season 5-1 in doubles play…Came back for a 0-6, 7-5, 10-6 win at no. 3 singles in the season-opening sweep of Rider (sept. 18)…Recorded back-to-back doubles wins at hartford (March 5) and saint Peter’s (March 27)…notched a 6-4, 6-4 victory at no. 4 singles against siena on april 8…teamed with stephanie tsao to post a hard-fought 8-6 doubles victory against albany on april 9.

2009-10: team captain…saw action in four different singles positions, as well as teaming with three different doubles partners…Primarily played at no. 3 singles…also played one match at no. 4 singles, as well as one match at no. 5 and two at no. 6…Posted an 8-4 win with hilary Valenzuela at no. 3 doubles in the lady Jaspers’ season-opening victory over Monmouth (sept. 23)…With stephanie tsao, tallied an 8-1 victory at no. 3 doubles against saint Joseph’s (oct. 12).

2008-09: saw action mostly at no. 6 singles and no. 3 doubles…Went 4-9 at no. 6 singles, including back-to-back wins against Fordham (sept. 21) and Wagner (sept. 22)…Posted a 10-5 mark, including a 5-2 MaaC record, with lindsey Keeler at no. 3 doubles…Won first three matches, and five out of first six, after being paired with Keeler…tallied five straight doubles wins to open the MaaC season.

BeFore MAnHAttAn: Played no. 1 doubles at archbishop Mitty high school…earned second team all-league honors in 2007 and honorable mention recognition in 2008 while leading archbishop Mitty to back-to-back league titles…attended st. lawrence academy for two seasons, earning team MVP honors twice…Went undefeated at no. 1 singles for st. lawrence.

personal: Daughter of nghia and Melissa ton...has one sister, stefanie, and one brother, andrew, both of whom also play tennis…has participated in the Relay for life…Majoring in communication…Born on February 10, 1990.

Hilary Valenzuela5-4 • Senior • Mesa, Ariz. (red Mountain)

2010-11: team captain…appeared in 15 matches at no. 2 singles and two in the no. 1 spot…Played doubles in all 17 matches with four different partners…Won at both no. 2 singles and no. 2 doubles in the victories over Rider (sept. 18) and Monmouth (sept. 19) on the first weekend of the season…Moved into the no. 1 singles position for the first time against st. Francis (nY) on sept. 23 and picked up a 6-3, 6-0 win…notched back-to-back singles

wins at army (Feb. 26) and hartford (March 5)…also recorded an 8-3 win with lili Johnson at no. 2 doubles in the victory over hartford…teamed with Christina Puleo for an 8-4 win at no. 1 doubles against saint Peter’s on March 27.

2009-10: team captain…Played in all 17 dual matches, making 12 starts at no. 2 singles and five in the no. 3 position…teamed with Christina Puleo at no. 2 doubles 15 times, while also twice playing with Christina ton at no. 3 doubles…Posted victories at both no. 3 singles and no. 3 doubles in the lady Jaspers’ season-opening win over Monmouth on sept. 23…Clinched Manhattan’s 4-3 victory over Fordham on oct. 4 with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 win over Bethany Boyle at no. 3 singles in a match that took more than three hours…opened MaaC play with a 6-1, 6-2 win at no. 2 singles against Rider (March 24)…also notched an 8-5 victory at no. 2 doubles against Rider…Recorded a 6-1, 6-4 victory at no. 2 singles in the regular season finale at niagara (april 18).

2008-09: Posted a 9-7 singles record in dual matches, including a 4-3 mark in the MaaC…Went 7-6 at no. 3 singles and 2-1 at no. 2 singles…Won

the first two matches she played at no. 2 singles (sept. 22 at Wagner, april 2 vs. Rider)…tallied four consecutive singles wins from March 21-april 2, all against MaaC opponents…Went 10-7 overall and 4-3 in the MaaC with Casey Conklin at no. 2 doubles…also played four doubles matches with lindsey Keeler, going 2-2…Recorded a win in both singles and doubles in the same dual match eight times…Picked up Manhattan’s only two match victories in a 6-1 loss to loyola in the MaaC tournament (april 17), posting a 6-2, 6-2 win at no. 3 singles and a 9-8 triumph with Conklin at no. 2 doubles.

BeFore MAnHAttAn: Played no. 1 singles and no. 1 doubles at Red Mountain high school…named team MVP and first team all-region all four years…led Red Mountain to the 2005 state team championship…Finished third in the state doubles tournament in 2006 and 2008…earned the no. 14 ranking in the southwest section and reached a high of no. 232 in the national 18-under rankings…a member of the national honor society.

personal: Daughter of antoinette Richter...has one brother, tanner…Majoring in communication…Born on March 8, 1990.


lili Johnson5-5 • Junior • tulsa, okla. (Booker t. Washington)

5

2010-11: appeared in the no. 1 singles position 15 times, missing the other two dual matches due to injury…Played doubles with four different partners, splitting time between no. 1 and no. 2…Picked up six singles wins and seven doubles victories…lost a total of one game in singles play on the season’s opening weekend, winning 6-0, 6-1 against Rider (sept. 18) and 6-0, 6-0 at Monmouth (sept. 19)…teamed with Christina Puleo for a pair of doubles wins that weekend…Rallied for a 6-4, 0-6, 11-9 singles win at army on Feb. 26…started playing doubles with Brianna turano on april 9, when the duo posted an 8-3 victory at albany…also notched a 6-1, 6-3 singles win in that match…Went 3-1 with turano as her doubles partner, including Manhattan’s only match win at loyola on april 11, an 8-6 triumph at no. 2 doubles.

2009-10: Played at no. 1 singles and no. 1 doubles in all 17 dual matches…Went 8-9 at no. 1 singles and 7-10 at no. 1 doubles…Reached the singles consolation final at the season-opening nJit invitational (sept. 11-13)…had a six-match singles

winning streak from sept. 12-oct. 12, including a 4-0 mark in dual matches…Finished the fall season with an overall singles record of 9-2 (4-0 in dual matches)…opened MaaC play with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Rider (March 24)…also had a 6-1, 6-2 win over siena (March 27) and a 6-2, 6-0 victory in the win at saint Peter’s (March 31)…Rallied from a set down to post a 4-6, 6-2, 10-7 win at no. 1 singles against nJit on april 5…teamed with stephanie tsao to post an 8-7 victory in no. 1 doubles at niagara on april 18.

BeFore MAnHAttAn: Won four varsity letters at Booker t. Washington high school, playing mostly at no. 1 and no. 2 singles…led Booker t. Washington to the state championship as a sophomore after a state runner-up finish during her freshman campaign…held the no. 1 ranking among oklahoma high school players…Played no. 1 singles on the Missouri Valley intersectional team.

personal: Daughter of John and Victoria Johnson…Brother, Milo, played tennis at Virginia…has another brother, axel…Born on March 24, 1991.

Stephanie tsao5-8 • Junior • Scarsdale, n.Y. (Yonkers)

2010-11: Played doubles 16 times, mostly at no. 2, and appeared in 13 singles matches…Put together a 2-1 record at no. 5 singles…Won at both no. 5 singles (6-1, 6-1) and no. 2 doubles (8-0) in the season-opening victory at Rider on sept. 18…notched victories in both singles (6-1, 6-2) and doubles (8-1) again the next day at Monmouth…Moved into the no. 4 singles position against st. Francis (nY) on sept. 23 and posted a 6-1, 2-6, 10-5 victory…teamed with

Christina Puleo for a 9-8 victory at no. 1 doubles in the win over hartford on March 5…also registered a 6-0, 6-1 singles triumph against hartford…Paired with Christina ton for an 8-6 win that clinched the doubles point at albany on april 9.

2009-10: Played doubles in all 17 dual matches, making 12 appearances at no. 1 doubles, two in the no. 2 position, and three at no. 3 doubles…teamed with three different doubles partners…also appeared in the singles lineup in 15 dual matches, mostly in the no. 5 position…Reached the doubles final at the nJit invitational in her first collegiate tournament (sept. 11-13)…advanced to the singles semifinals at the same tournament…notched first dual match singles win with a 6-1, 6-2 victory in the no. 5 position against Rider on March 24…also won her doubles match against Rider…Recorded victories in both singles and doubles in MaaC matches at saint Peter’s (March 31) and niagara (april 18)…ended the regular season on a two-match singles winning streak…tallied a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at st. Bonaventure on april 17, then rallied after losing the first set to post a 3-6, 6-1, 10-5 win at niagara the next day...teamed with lili Johnson for an 8-7 win at no. 1 doubles in the niagara match.

BeFore MAnHAttAn: Played six years of varsity tennis at Yonkers high school…Went undefeated at no. 1 singles three times and twice earned all-league honors…twice earned all-league selections…named a scholar-athlete four times and received the Wendy’s high school heisman in 2008…Won a gold medal with the hudson Valley squad at the 2008 empire state games…helped softball team win a pair of league championships…Chosen Best offensive Player on the softball team as a senior…also served as captain of the track & field team…a member of both the national honor society and national italian honor society…selected music student of the year as a senior…served as Vice President of the student government.

personal: Daughter of Percy and grace tsao…has two brothers, Duke and Kevin…Majoring in computer engineering…has worked at a ball girl at the Us open since 2007…Certified as a tennis instructor for junior development by the Professional tennis Registry…a published poet…Born on october 29, 1991.


Megan Maffei5-3 • Sophomore • Stony Point, n.Y. (Albertus Magnus/Caldwell)

6

2010-11: appeared in six singles matches and five doubles contests…Won first collegiate singles match, 6-4, 6-0, against st. Francis (nY) on sept. 23…also posted an 8-3 victory at no. 1 doubles against st. Francis (nY).

BeFore MAnHAttAn: earned four letters in tennis at albertus Magnus high school…a three-time all-county and all-league selection…named team MVP following both her sophomore and senior seasons.

personal: Daughter of Michael and Mary Maffei…sister, Melissa, graduated from Manhattan in 2005…also has a brother, Michael…Majoring in education…Born on May 1, 1991.

Brianna Turano5-3 • Sophomore • nutley, n.J. (Mt. St. Dominic)

2010-11: tallied a team-high seven singles victories…Posted a 3-2 singles record in MaaC play…Finished with a combined doubles record of 10-8, including a 3-3 mark in conference action…had a 5-4 record at no. 6 singles…also played five matches in the no. 5 position and at no. 4 once…Won first three matches of collegiate career, all by 6-0, 6-0 scores…Went on another three-match winning streak from March 5-april 6…Claimed a pair of wins at saint Peter’s on March 27, including the lady Jaspers’ only singles victory in the 5-2 loss…Picked up Manhattan’s only match victory in a 6-1 loss at nJit on april 6, notching a 1-6, 6-4, 10-7 win at no. 6 singles…teamed with Christina ton at no. 3 doubles for most of the season, going 7-7…started the season by winning five of first six doubles matches…Paired with lili Johnson for the final four matches of the season, and the tandem went 3-1 together.

BeFore MAnHAttAn: Played no. 1 singles at Mt. st. Dominic academy…Qualified for the new Jersey state championships as both a junior and a senior…earned First team all-super essex Coference honors as a senior after being named First team all-nhC as a junior…twice chosen second team all-nhC…a two-time second team all-non Public and third team all-essex County selection…also played golf.

personal: Daughter of Pat and Cindy turano…has one sister, nicolette, and one brother, Ryan…Majoring in business management…Born on May 18, 1992.


Caitlin Bricketto5-4 • Freshman • Coral Springs, Fla. (Kaplan College Prep)

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BeFore MAnHAttAn: trained at the evert tennis academy while attending Kaplan Preparatory school…named an athletic scholar as a junior at Kaplan, receiving the award from Chris evert…Played in numerous itF and Usta-sanctioned junior tournaments in Florida.

Catherine Clark5-4 • Freshman • Salem, Conn. (Bacon Academy)

BeFore MAnHAttAn: Played four years of varsity tennis at Bacon academy…Posted a 15-1 record and reached the eCC quarterfinals as a senior…advanced to the second round of the state open in 2011…a three-time eCC Medium Division all-star…earned three first team all-area and three first team all-county selections….named Bacon’s Most improved Player as a freshman.

Alyssa rosello5-10 • Freshman • Garden City, n.Y. (Garden City)

BeFore MAnHAttAn: a six-year varsity player and two-time team captain at garden City high school…named Most improved Player after helping garden City win the conference championship as a senior…Regularly played in Usta junior tournaments, earning the no. 2 ranking in long island…Represented long island at the 2010 empire state games in Buffalo.

personal: Daughter of Robert and Joanne Rosello…Brother, Reid, plays lacrosse at hobart…Majoring in communications…Won a number of awards for photography…as a senior in high school, organized a charity drive for global gears that collected over 300 pounds of used sports equipment for less fortunate communities…Born on May 25, 1993.

personal: Daughter of Krista Clark…Majoring in communications…Won scholarships for journalism and spanish in high school…Born on January 26, 1993.

personal: Daughter of Joseph and Kathleen Bricketto…has three brothers and three sisters…Majoring in business…Born on october 30, 1992.


SinGleS no. 1 no. 2 no. 3 no. 4 no. 5 no. 6 overall

lili Johnson 6-7 6-7

hilary Valenzuela 1-1 4-10 5-11

Christina ton 1-1 1-5 1-2 1-4 4-12

Christina Puleo 1-8 1-4 2-12

stephanie tsao 0-2 2-6 2-1 4-9

Brianna turano 0-1 2-3 5-4 7-8

Megan Maffei 0-2 1-3 1-5

Kaitlynn Zaffuto 0-1 0-2 0-3

overall 7-8 5-11 2-15 4-13 5-11 6-9 29-67

DouBleS no. 1 no. 2 no. 3 overall

Johnson/Puleo 2-3 2-3

Puleo/Valenzuela 1-2 0-1 1-3

Johnson/turano 1-1 2-0 3-1

Maffei/Puleo 1-1 0-1 1-2

Puleo/tsao 1-1 0-1 1-2

tsao/Valenzuela 0-1 3-5 3-6

Johnson/tsao 0-1 1-1 1-2

Johnson/Valenzuela 0-1 1-1 1-2

ton/turano 7-6 7-6

Maffei/ton 0-2 0-2

ton/tsao 1-0 1-0

ton/Valenzuela 0-1 0-1

overall 6-11 7-10 8-9 21-30

2011 sTaTisTiCs

Date opponent resultsep. 18 at Rider* W, 7-0sep. 19 at Monmouth W, 5-2sep. 22 FaiRFielD* l, 0-6sep. 23 st. FRanCis (nY) W, 6-1oct. 2 at Fordham l, 0-7oct. 3 at hofstra l, 0-7oct. 11 saCReD heaRt l, 0-7Feb. 19 at navy l, 0-7

Date opponent resultFeb. 26 at army l, 2-5Mar. 5 at hartford W, 7-0Mar. 27 at saint Peter’s* l, 2-5apr. 6 at nJit l, 1-6apr. 8 at siena* l, 2-5apr. 9 at albany l, 2-5apr. 11 at loyola* l, 0-7apr. 13 at Marist* l, 1-4apr. 16 at Bryant l, 0-4*-MaaC match

reSultS

overall Record: 4-13, MaaC: 1-5


With 10 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro atlantic athletic Conference is in its 31st year of competition during the 2011-2012 academic year.

the MaaC was founded in 1980 by six charter members: the U.s. Military academy, Fairfield University, Fordham University, iona College, Manhattan College and saint Peter’s College. Competition followed one year later in the fall of 1981 with members competing in the sports of men’s cross country and men’s soccer. on January 2, 1982, army traveled to iona for the first MaaC men’s basketball game and the MaaC story had begun.

today, Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, iona College, loyola University Maryland, Manhattan College, Marist College, niagara University, Rider University, saint Peter’s College, and siena College. in addition, associate members include the University of Detroit Mercy, Jacksonville University and Virginia Military institute in men’s lacrosse. st. Francis (n.Y.) College, Villanova University, VMi and Wagner College are all associate members of the MaaC Women’s Water Polo league. Drake University, Robert Morris University and sacred heart University compete in women’s rowing, while the University at albany, Boston University and the University of hartford began competition in women’s golf in the spring of 2010. the MaaC will support 24 sports and championships during the 2011-2012 academic year.

the MaaC Basketball Championships move to springfield’s MassMutual Center to host the 2012-2014 championships. By having an excellent working relationship with various facilities, the MaaC has been able to attract a number of nCaa Championship events. Most recently, the MaaC and Rider co-hosted the 2011 nCaa Division i Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. the MaaC, Canisius College and niagara University successfully hosted the 2010 nCaa Division i Men’s Basketball Championship First and second Rounds at the hsBC arena in Buffalo, new York. all three parties hosted the event in 2004 and 2007. the MaaC and Rider University co-hosted the 2009 nCaa Division i Women’s Basketball Championship Regional at the sovereign Bank arena in trenton, n.J., after recording the third highest attendance figure for the women’s championship with the First and second Rounds in 2006. the MaaC and Rider will work together to co-host the 2012 nCaa Rowing Championships at Mercer lake in West Windsor, new Jersey.

maaC assoCiaTe sporTsin June of 1995, the MaaC continued to develop opportunities for student-

athletes as the conference announced the formation of the MaaC Men’s and Women’s lacrosse leagues. the men’s league began competition in the spring of 1996, while the women’s league commenced in the spring of 1997. the men’s league consists of four MaaC schools -- Canisius, Manhattan, Marist, and siena – and three associate members – Detroit, Jacksonville and Virginia Military institute. the women’s league consists of MaaC institutions Canisius, Fairfield, iona, Manhattan, Marist, niagara and siena.

in 2002, the MaaC added the MaaC Women’s Water Polo league. the league is currently made up of three MaaC schools – iona, Marist and siena – as well as four associate members, st. Francis (n.Y.), Villanova, VMi and Wagner.

sacred heart started participating in MaaC Women’s Rowing in the spring of 2008. Drake University joined the league for the 2010 MaaC Championship, while Robert Morris began competition in the spring of 2011.

in the summer of 2009, the MaaC added three associate members – albany, Boston University and hartford – to women’s golf, with the programs starting competition against MaaC members Fairfield, niagara and siena in 2009-2010.

ACADeMiCS AnD aTHleTiCs

the MaaC prides itself on the accomplishments of its student-athletes in the classroom, as well as on the field. Mary Beth Riley, a 1991 graduate of Canisius, was the first recipient of the nCaa Woman of the Year award. in the fall of 1998, erin Whalen, a member of the iona women’s rowing team, was awarded one of the nation’s 32 Rhodes scholarships for academic achievement and civic leadership. Jose Vargas, a loyola student, was also awarded a Rhodes scholarship in 1999.

First-class facilities are the rule with MaaC schools, as teams regularly play in top-notch arenas,

such as Madison square garden, the iZoD Center, hsBC arena, times Union Center, the arena at harbor Yard and the sun national Bank Center. the other MaaC championships boast their share of outstanding locales as well, such as the Reverend harold Ridley, s.J., athletic Complex at loyola, where the women’s soccer championship will be contested in the fall of 2011, and Joe Bruno stadium in troy, new York, home of the 2012 MaaC Baseball Championship. this year, the MaaC will take its men’s championship to orlando, Florida, where it will conduct its post-season event at the esPn Wide World of sports Complex. the MaaC Men’s and Women’s golf Championships will be held at Disney’s Magnolia golf Course.

in the past several years, a number of the MaaC schools have also enjoyed success in nCaa Championships. MaaC schools have made a total of 77 nit appearances and 47 nCaa appearances. in addition, iona and Rider participated in the Collegeinsider.com Postseason tournament, with the gaels advancing to the championship game. the Manhattan women participated in the Women’s Basketball invitational, reaching the semifinal round of the tournament. the MaaC currently possesses 13 automatic bids to nCaa Championships in men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and women’s water polo. in 2007, the Marist women’s basketball team advanced to the sweet 16 before falling to the eventual national Champion, the University of tennessee. in the fall of 2009, the no. 11 iona men’s cross country team finished tied for eighth place at the nCaa Championship race, extended the gaels’ streak to eight straight top 10 national finishes. iona softball, Manhattan track, Manhattan baseball and loyola lacrosse have also flourished on the national stage.

the MaaC has also been a leader in the forefront of technology, expanding the notoriety of the league into cyberspace. in 2007, the league reached an agreement with JumptV, inc., now neulion, inc., to design the MaaC web page. MaaCsports.com has been a great success, providing fans with up-to-date contest results, live and on-demand video and an online merchandise store. the MaaC, in conjunction with neulion, launched an iPhone app in February 2011. the league is looking to expand its offerings with android and iPod apps, scheduled for release during the 2011-12 academic year.

the MaaC President for the 2011-2012 academic year is Rev. Jeffrey von arx, s.J., the President of Fairfield University. the Vice-President is Dr. eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., the President of saint Peter’s College. Jim Paquette, Director of athletics at loyola University Maryland, will chair the Committee on athletic administration, and theresa Berg, associate athletic Director/senior Woman administrator at niagara University will serve as Vice Chair.

Metro AtlAntiC AtHletiC ConFerenCe


assisTanT CoaCHesJoe Ryan, Melissa stoll, elliot Belin, Milos Vuckovic

HeAD CoACHDan Mecca (Montclair state ’76), 19th season





Dr. Brennan o’Donnell is the 19th president of Manhat-tan College, having assumed the responsibilities of the position July 1, 2009.

Dr. o’Donnell comes to Manhattan from Fordham Col-lege at Rose hill, Fordham University’s oldest and larg-est school. as dean of Fordham College, he was the chief academic officer of a College of arts and sciences enrolling about 3,200 students under a faculty of more than 200.

Before coming to new York, Dr. o’Donnell spent 17 years at loyola College in Maryland (now loyola University Mary-land), where he served as a professor of english and, from 1999-2004, as director of the university-wide honors Pro-gram. an active scholar, his teaching and research interests focus mainly upon poetry, especially of the British Romantic period, and on religion and literature, particularly contem-porary american Catholic writers. he has authored two books on the poetry of William Wordsworth and co-edited the Work of andre Dubus, a collection of essays published as a double issue of Religion and the arts. in addition, Dr. o’Donnell has published articles, essays and reviews in some of the leading journals in his field. at Manhattan, he will continue to hold a faculty appointment, as he had at Fordham and loyola, as professor of english.

as the first president of the College not to be a member of the Brothers of the Christian schools, Dr. o’Donnell is treading new ground at Manhattan College. he has experi-ence in such transitions, however, as he was also the first layperson to serve as dean of Fordham College at Rose hill.

his publications and lectures demonstrate a keen engage-ment in issues of faith and education, specifically Catholic higher education. From 1994–2000, he served as editor of the national magazine Conversations on Jesuit higher education, and he was a member of the national seminar on Jesuit higher education from 1993–2000. in addition, he has served as a board member for the lilly Fellows Program and for Collegium, a consortium of Catholic universities that strives to strengthen faculty understanding of and participa-tion in the mission of Catholic higher education.

a native of Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley, Dr. o’Donnell earned his B.a. with highest distinction and honors in english at the Pennsylvania state University in 1981, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. he earned an M.a. and a Ph.D. at the University of north Carolina at Chapel hill in english and american literature and language. he is the recipient of numerous fellowships, grants, awards and honors.

Dr. o’Donnell is married to angela o’Donnell (formerly alaimo), a poet and writer who teaches at Fordham, where she serves as associate director of the Francis and ann Cur-ran Center for american Catholic studies. the couple has three sons: Charles (a graduate of saint John’s University, Minnesota, and a teacher in the st. Paul, Minnesota, public schools), Patrick (a 2009 graduate of Columbia Univer-sity, currently pursuing graduate studies in philosophy in leuven, Belgium), and Will (a senior english major at Fordham).


a 1968 graduate of Manhattan College, Byrnes en-ters his 24th year as director of athletics.

since his arrival back to Riverdale in May of 1988, Byrnes has presided over a renaissance period in Manhattan College athletics. During his tenure, the men’s and women’s basketball programs have earned eight nCaa tournament bids (four women, four men). additionally, the Jaspers have appeared in five postseason and preseason national invitational tournaments (nit). Women’s soccer and men’s and women’s lacrosse began competition at the Division i level under Byrnes, and 14 different teams have won conference championships-men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s indoor track, men’s and women’s outdoor track, men’s and women’s basket-ball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, volleyball, men’s tennis, softball and baseball. in addition, to date, 26 student-athletes have received all-america honors for both athletic and academic achievements.

Before returning to Manhattan, Byrnes spent 13 years with the Morrison-Knudsen Company, one of the largest engineering and construction firms in the nation.

a native of garrison, new York, Byrnes earned his undergraduate degree in physical education with a minor in biology. he also holds an M.B.a. from City University in seattle, Washington.

as an undergraduate, Byrnes was a member of the Jaspers’ club football team. Byrnes served as team captain and played both defensive tackle and offensive

end. he spent one season as an assistant coach and helped guide Manhattan to a 6-2 overall record in 1969.

Upon graduation, Byrnes began a teaching and coaching career at Queen of Peace high school in north arlington, new Jersey. he also served as the school’s director of athletics from 1970-73. Under his leadership, Queen of Peace registered state tourna-ment appearances in baseball and basketball, while also capturing the Parochial “B” state Championship in football (1972).

in addition to his responsibilities at Manhattan, By-rnes served two stints (1997-99, 2004-06) as president of the Metropolitan intercollegiate Basketball associa-tion, at one time the sponsoring body of the nit. he also served on the nCaa Championship Committee in 1999-2000. he is currently the chair of the Metro atlantic athletic Conference (MaaC) Men’s Basketball Committee and the Committee on athletic admin-istration, as well as a member of the eCaC officials negotiating Committee. in recognition of his years of outstanding contributions to Jasper athletics, Byrnes was inducted into the Manhattan College athletic hall of Fame in 2004.

Byrnes resides in Croton-on-hudson, new York, along with his wife, Rosemary. he is the father of five children: Bob, Carolyn (Manhattan ’97), Brian (Man-hattan ’99), Darren and Brigid.




Documents

2011-12 Manhattan College Women's Tennis Yearbook