university at albany

Scott Marr has built an amazing Division I lacrosse program at the University at Albany. Multiple men's lacrosse NCAA tournament games have been played on campus to an unprecedented response from fans. The Great Danes lacrosse faithful didn't go unnoticed. The Premier Lacrosse League has brought professional lacrosse to Tom & Mary Casey twice. Each time being a huge success. This tour might even be a little better!

This was a difficult decision. I understand that if Stony Brook wins the America East men's basketball tournament, number one seeded Vermont will not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The country will be listening to CBS commentators sayings something like "...and Stony Brook will be leaving the America East for the CAA in the fall..." That is hard to choke down for any member institution.

Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) commissioner Joey D'Antonio announced that Stony Brook University, Monmouth University and Hampton University will join the CAA as 'full members' next season. Stony Brook and Albany are currently 'associate members' of the CAA for football only. Starting next year, Stony Brook will become a full member and compete against the likes of Charleston, William & Mary, Delaware and Long Island rival Hofstra, instead of NJIT, Maine and the rest of America East.

Stillwater native and UAlbany Baseball head coach Jon Mueller announced the Great Danes' 2022 season schedule. The 48-game slate features 18 games at Varsity Field and 30 games on the road. In typical Coach Mueller fashion, UAlbany will open with one of the toughest baseball programs in the country, the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia plays in collegiate baseball's #1 conference the SEC.

Sophia Chen has been a staple for the UAlbany women’s soccer team. She first came to the university in 2017, starting three games as a freshman goalkeeper. Four years and over 30 games played later, Sophia led the women’s soccer squad and was a team captain in 2021 her graduate season. Chen is a native of Louisville, Colorado, the scene of one of the most devastating fires in the state's history. Following her December graduation from UAlbany, Sophia was back home when tragedy struck her home town.

UAlbany, who has won 3 out of their last 4 games, raced out to 24-7 lead over the Mountain Hawks and never looked back. Dre Perry led the Great Danes scoring attack with 18 points, while blocking 3 shots and snatching 2 steals on the defensive side. Freshman Justin Neely was a monster on the glass, grabbing 14 boards while adding 11 points of his own.

Head Coach Dwayne Killings and the Great Danes men's basketball team are still getting to know one another. The media guide clearly states that 16 of the 22 players, coaches and staff are new to the program. More often than not, the cohesion that enables them to win college basketball games takes time for the players and the coaches to develop. Monday night in Chestnut Hill in Boston, the UAlbany Great Danes took a huge step in that process.

Monday night the UAlbany Great Danes continue their lesson plan under Coach Killings. Their non-conference schedule is a bear. Killings is aware but sees the benefits. "Monday presents a tremendous opportunity to compete against an ACC opponent on the road. As we continue our journey through this season, I am excited to see the growth of our program and players against a tough and versatile Boston College team" said Killings.

I laugh when people say that 'the Capital Region is a bad sports town.' Really? When people say that I sometimes feel that they are trying to find something wrong with everything. If you feel like I do, it's time to look at the facts. This is actually a pretty good sports 'town.'

Nobody told Dwayne Killings that it would be easy taking over a Division I basketball program. Add in 9 new student-athletes to the program and an entirely new coaching staff, and the equation appears tougher in front of the rookie head coach. That's the way that the 40 year old head coach appears to like it.