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Saturday May 1st, 2010 - Women's Lacrosse takes on the Pioneers of C.W. Post as they look to continue their win streak. It is the last home game for the lacrosse team. Also it is anticipated to be a sold out crowd as it is their biggest rival as well as Alumni Day, so get there early to get your seat to view one of the season's most anticipated games. Game time is 4pm. See you there!

Saturday May 1st, 2010 - Softball has a game but it is away at Merrimack College in Andover, MA. If you see any of the girls walking around campus make sure you show your support and wish them luck as they look forward to the upcoming NE-10 tournament.

Saturday May 1st, 2010 - Track and Field are competing in the NE-10 championship this Saturday at Stonehill College. The girls have been working hard for this and are coming off a strong performance from the last tournament. Good luck girls!

Make sure you show your support for all these girls and show your Adelphi Pride by coming out and cheering them on as they look to finish up their seasons. Good luck! You've done AU proud!

Advancing On

The Adelphi University Women's Tennis team advanced to the semi-finals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Wednesday. They defeated Le Moyne College of Syracuse, NY.

They will play next on Friday April 23, 2009 at Stonehill College. They will also be playing Stonehill. Adelphi is seeded 3rd while Stonehill is seeded 2nd.

Good luck girls!

From Florida to New York

Photo courtesy of aupanthers.com

Breaking three records her freshman year and earning the team MVP award, Adelphi swimmer Charlotte Davies has brought more to New York then the Florida sunshine. Hailing from Sanibel, Florida, Davies, who is now a sophomore, continues her successes here at Adelphi. She has received a Northeast-10 Honor as well. But she says that her most prized accomplishment is setting those records as a freshman.

"My most prized accomplishment at AU would be my records in the 500, 1000, and 1650 freestyle. I received all of them as a freshman and it made me super excited to be an asset to the team my first year."

This is the first season the swim team has been able to swim in their home pool in a few years. Last year they were traveling everywhere just to find a pool to practice in. But as Davies point out its her team that matters the most when it comes to swimming.

"The best thing about swimming here is definitely my team. I love swimming with them and we all get along not only in the pool but outside of the pool too. Without my team I don't know what I would do and they make swimming here a better experience."

In order to break records and become a top swimmer it takes more then just a nice pool and a great team surrounding you. It takes hard work and dedication on the athletes part to devote herself to being the best and Davies practices this day in and day out.

"Doing well doesn't come easy. If you work hard you'll do well and you can't slack off during practice and expect good things to happen or to do well when it comes time for a championship or big race."

Davies doesn't just want to settle for what she has already accomplished. She knows that there are many more years to go and she plans to continue with her hard work to make her become the best swimmer she could possibly be, while defending her records.

"I want to do well. And not working hard doesn't make sense to me. I want to continue to improve throughout my years at AU and to get there I have to work hard everyday. Not to mention that I don't want any freshman taking my records. :)"

Each and every day Adelphi women athletes look to do their best and their hard work, dedication and commitment they put in, it sure shows that we have some of the best.

Rookie of the Week

In a previous post I highlighted Emily Dorko from the softball and volleyball team. It was just announced that this week Dorko is Rookie of the Week for the Northeast-10 Conference. One amazing accomplishment that lead to this was a grand slam home run in a 8-0 over Bloomfield College.

Congrats Emily!

Shut Out

The Adelphi Women's Lacrosse team gets their first shut out of the season this past Saturday, April 10, 2010 against St. Michaels College. Improving to 10-0, this marks the first shut out since March 1, 2009 against American International College. Although they beat their opponents by a large margin, which is a rarity in lacrosse, a shut out is something to be proud of.

KAPOWEE

The Adelphi Volleyball team over the past 3 years has seen its program go from being one that teams want to play to having teams be afraid to play. Making the NCAA tournament the past 3 years and coming in 2nd this past season in their conference championship makes them a force to be reckoned with. Patawe Simms, now a sophomore has showed her competitors that although she is young, she is powerful and a force on this Adelphi team.

Simms, nicknamed Kapowee for her strength and power, is a true leader on the Adelphi Women's volleyball team. For her its not about her successes it about what the the team run everyday.

"Our team chemistry is amazing. We're all very well connected and it is shown on the court. We work together as one everyday for the same purpose, to win and be successful."

In order to win though, the team has great expectations of Simms. When you look at her you can just see she's and amazing athlete. But when she steps on the floor and starts to play you understand how powerful she really is. Many wonder where she got her astonishing power and athletic abilities.

"I acquired most of my training while playing on the Fury Volleyball Club in high school. Playing club made me a better player and prepared me for my college career. When I came to Adelphi my coach then advanced my skills, making me a powerful hitter and preparing me to play on the next level."

With this power she has recorded 399 kills in her time here at Adelphi. But don't forget, she's only a sophmore so many teams will have to continue to figure out how to defend the middle powerhouse from Adelphi. Looking forward to the next two years Simms focuses on some very important things.

"My goal for the next two years here is to become the best team mate and player I can possibly be. I want every practice to be better than the last and I will work hard everyday in order to achieve my goal."

With the determination and skill of Simms, the volleyball team looks to continue its success with her help on other run for the conference championship. Simms knows they can accomplish anything as she knows this team possess one of the key factors to a being a successful team, heart.

"It's the love my teammates and I have for the sport that makes us successful and motivates us to love what we do. We are all so in sync with one another because of the dedication and commitment we each put into being on the Adelphi Volleyball team."

I couldn't have said it better myself. Simms, along with the whole team, work hard day in and day out to conquer goals and be the best they can be. And with a teammate like Simms by your side and out there on the court for you, you know that you have one of the best.

The Names Fitz

Fitzpatrick, #31, in goal

Photo Courtesy of Caitlin Fitzpatrick

The Women's Lacrosse team knows how to score goals. Winning by an average of 13 goals this season, it just shows that their offense can get the job done. But what people forget is there has to be someone stopping the other team from scoring just as many goals and that's where Caitlin Fitzpatrick comes in.

Coming off an undefeated season and having a national championship to defend offers a hard task for the Lady Panthers and Fitzpatrick, also known around campus as Fitz. Defending a national championship may be hard, but as Fitz says, its a gold the team is determined to accomplish.

"Our goal for the season is to remain undefeated and win another national championship. Simple as that. We have had the idea instilled in us by the coaching staff that anything less than a national championship and our overall season is a failure."

Their is a big target on their back. There is a lot of pressure for them to preform every single game to the highest level possible and as Fitz points out back to back national championships has never been done before, and no opponent will let it come easy.

"We are the 'big game' on everyone's schedule. Who wouldnt want a chance to take out the defending champs? They are not just going to lay down and hand us a win- we have to fight for every groundball, faceoff possession, save, and goal. No one in Division II has won a women's lacrosse championship back to back- we hope to change that this year."

Starting in goal for the Panthers, Fitz's job is to make sure that for every goal they score, she stops a shoot from the other team. She seems to be doing this job pretty well, to say the least. Earning her second week honor this season, NE-10 Goalie of the Week, Fitz feels each one is special.

"Each one of theses awards is special. It forces me to work hard each and every game to continue playing at my best. There are a lot of good goalies in the NE-10 so I see each of them as an honor. The award also reflects how well the defense plays because they help force the attackers to where we want them to shoot from."

Finally, Fitz points out that none of this would be possible without their coach, who instills a great work ethic in his players.

"He knows when we are working at our highest level and trying hard or just 'going through the motions'- he is not afraid to call us out. We are taught that if you practice at a high level you will play at a high level."

With a great work ethic, great team chemistry, and one common goal-win another championship, it's no wonder he lacrosse team has been able to keep their streak alive and it doesn't seem to be ending any time soon. We just hope Fitz ties the correct shoe first, a game day ritual, because it's certainly working!