2004-05 Athletes of the Week
2003-04 Athletes of the Week

5-15-06 | Rory Quiller (West Point, N.Y.)

Junior Rory Quiller (West Point, N.Y.) was the top Binghmaton finisher at the ECAC/IC4A Championships this past weeeknd. He took second in the men's pole vault, clearing a school-record height of 17 feet, 2 3/4 inches. Quiller will compete at the NCAA Regional Meet in two weeks at North Carolina A&T University.

5-8-06 | Katie Hansen (Westtown, N.Y.)

Senior pitcher Katie Hansen (Westtown, N.Y.) won all three games this weekend as the softball swept Vermont. She fired a two-hit shutout in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday and struck out a career-high 10 batters in the process. In the nightcap, she tossed 1.2 scoreless innings as the Bearcats rallied for a late-inning victory. On Sunday, Hansen struck out eight batters on her way to another complete-game victory.

5-1-06 | Paddy Hennessy (Selkirk, N.Y.)

Senior Paddy Hennessy (Selkirk, N.Y.) shattered his own school record by seven feet in winning the men's hammer. His distance of 188-6 also met the qualifying standards for both the IC4A Championships and the NCAA Regional Meet.

4-24-06 | Jarrod Rampey (Rochester, N.Y.)

Senior Jarrod Rampey (Rochester, N.Y.) tossed 10 scoreless innings and also was named America East Pitcher of the Week. After three perfect innings in a win over Canisius, Rampey fired a two-hitter to beat conference rival Vermont. He had five strikeouts and no walks and lowered his ERA to 4.28. Rampey hasn't allowed a run in his last three starts (16 innings).

4-17-06 | Jeff Wolniewicz (West Seneca, N.Y.)

Junior Jeff Wolniewicz (West Seneca, N.Y.) shot a three-under 141 to tie for first place among 80 golfers at the New England Championship in Providence, R.I., leading the Bearcats to their first-ever team title. He fired a four-under 68 in an opening round that featured 14 pars and four birdies. Wolniewicz leads BU with a 73.9 scoring average.

4-10-06 | Chris Mulheron (Canandaigua, N.Y.)

Freshman attack Chris Mulheron (Canandaigua, N.Y.) scored a career-high four goals and had a pair of assists, leading Binghamton to a 9-5 win at Vermont in an America East Conference men's lacrosse game on Saturday afternoon. The victory is the second in a row for the Bearcats. Mulheron has now scored at least one goal in all nine of the Bearcats' games this season. He leads the squad with 13 goals, 15 assists and 28 total points.

4-3-06 | Stephen Smith (Canandaigua, N.Y.)

Sophomore midfielder Stephen Smith (Canandaigua, N.Y.) scored a school-record six goals, leading Binghamton to a 16-8 win at Hartford in an America East Conference men's lacrosse game on Saturday afternoon. The 16 goals scored by the Bearcats is also a school record. Smith broke the school record of four goals in a game, which had previously been set three times. Smith also holds the school record, with six assists in a game, a mark he set during his freshman season.

3-27-06 | Zach Groh (Reading, Pa.)

Sophomore pitcher Zach Groh (Reading, Pa.), a 6-foot-1 righthander, pitched a complete-game one-hitter to beat Lehigh 7-0 on Saturday. He also was named America East Pitcher of the Week. Groh retired the first 16 hitters before allowing a sixth-inning bloop single to center field. He struck out six and walked one in seven innings. In three starts this spring, Groh has a 1.69 ERA. He has 17 strikeouts and only three walks in 16 innings. He also has allowed just one extra-base hit.

3-20-06 | Kevin McKeown (Brewster, N.Y.)

Senior goalie Kevin McKeown (Brewster, N.Y.) led Binghamton to its second win over a ranked opponent this season as the Bearcats took down No. 17 Hobart 7-5 on Tuesday, March 14. The senior goalie recorded 13 saves in the process. He recorded eight more saves in the Bearcats' 10-8 win over Sacred Heart on Saturday. In the past four gaves, McKeown has a .662 save percentage.

The Bearcats (4-1) are on the verge of cracking the USILA/STX Top 20 poll for the first time in its five-year history.

3-13-06 | Jeff Santucci (Oswego, N.Y.)

Junior midfielder Jeff Santucci (Cicero, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal with 42 seconds into the first sudden-death overtime period, leading Binghamton (2-1) to a stellar 7-6 comeback victory at Villanova (2-3) in a non-conference lacrosse game on Saturday afternoon. In the process, the Bearcats defeated Villanova for the first time in four tries.

Santucci netted a team-high two goals in the win.

3-6-06 | Matt McNamara (Oswego, N.Y.)

Junior attack Matt McNamara (Oswego, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal with 2:40 remaining in the second sudden-death overtime period, leading Binghamton (1-1) to a stunning 1-0 upset at No. 8 Towson (1-1) in a non-conference lacrosse game on Saturday afternoon. In the process, the Bearcats defeat a Top-10 team for the first time in their five-year history.

McNamara scored a team-high three goals in the game but none was bigger then the one he scored on a man-up advantage 3:20 into the second five-minute overtime period. He took a pass from freshman attack Chris Mulheron (Canandaigua, N.Y.) and fired it in the net to cap off the upset.

2-27-06 | David Holmes (Doncaster, England)

Junior swimmer David Holmes (Doncaster, England) was named ECAC Men's Swimmer of the Meet, as Binghamton finished in sixth place at the ECAC Championship this past weekend. Holmes meet the NCAA "B" provisional mark in a pair of events and narrowly missed in a third. He swam the first leg of the 800 free relay in 1:37.34, breaking the record of teammate Kaan Tayla, who set the school mark at 1:37.59 last weekend at the conference championship. The time posted by Holmes also meets the NCAA "B" provisional mark of 1:38.46. He also won the 500 free in 4:24.96, meeting the NCAA "B" provisional mark of 4:27.41. Holmes shaved almost nine seconds off Chris McGuire's school record set in 2004 of 4:33.81, he was also less than nine tenths of a second off the ECAC record. Holmes captured the 100 free in 44.75, one-tenth of a second off the NCAA 'B' provisional mark. The other individual event that Holmes won was the 100 fly in 49.17, more than a second ahead of the next swimmer.


2-20-06 | Kaan Tayla (Ankara, Turkey)

Sophomore swimmer Kaan Tayla won the 50 free (20.00), 100 free (44.14) and the 200 free (1:37.59) this past weekend at the America East Championship. His times in these three races all qualified for the NCAA 'B" provisional mark. Tayla's prelim time in the 100 free (43.68) currently sits ninth best in the nation and should qualify him for the NCAA Championship. Besides for his three individual races all setting conference and school records, Tayla placed first on four relay teams, all of which set new school and conference marks. He swam in the 200 free relay (1:23.47), 200 medley relay (1:32.14), 400 free relay (3:01.42) and the 400 medley relay (3:20.67). For his efforts he was awarded the America East Championship Men's Most Outstanding Swimmer for the second consecutive year.

2-13-06 | Sebastian Hermenier (Rockville, Md.)

Senior men's basketball player Sebastian Hermenier (Rockville, Md.) has led the Bearcats to a four-game win streak. He averaged a team-high 17.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and produced a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds in an 18-point win at Stony Brook. In the four games, Hermenier shot 57% from the floor and a remarkable 90% from the free throw line.

2-6-06 | Brian O'Connor (New Rochelle, N.Y.)

Senior Brian O'Connor (New Rochelle, N.Y.) of the men's tennis team scored a record-breaking victory at No. 3 singles, earning his 75th career win - a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 over Eddie Kang of Army. O'Connor broke the careeer mark of 74, held by five-time Division III All-American Adam Marcus (1994-98). O'Connor is 11-3 this season and 75-30 in his outstanding four-year career.

"You always hope that good things happen to good people," men's tennis head coach Michael Starke said. "I couldn't be he happier for Brian. To break a record held by such a great player is a wonderful and deserved accomplishment. Brian is a hard-working kid with heart and fire."

1-30-06 | Laine Kurpniece (Riga, Latvia)

Sophomore center Laine Kurpniece (Riga, Latvia) led the women's basketball team to a pair of victories this past week. She averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game in the wins over Vermont and Albany. Kurpniece now has four double-doubles this season and she reached double figures in scoring the past six games. She continues to lead the Bearcats with 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.

1-23-06 | David Holmes (Doncaster, England)

Junior swimmer David Holmes (Doncaster, England) won all four of his individual events this past week, while setting three Binghamton pool records in two dual meets for Binghamton. On Saturday against St. Bonaventure Holmes broke the pool record in the 50 free with a time of 21.05 eclipsing the record of 21.20 set by current teammate sophomore Kaan Tayla last season. Holmes later swam the 200 fly in 1:52.05, breaking the pool record of 1:52.16 set in 2003 by fellow countryman Chris McGuire. In the 400 free relay, Holmes swam the first leg in 46.00, capturing the pool record in the 100 free, the previous record of 46.30 was set by Louis Petto of New Paltz in 1994. In the dual meet on Wednesday at Lafayette Holmes took top honors in the 100 free (46.45) and the 1000 free (9:37.08). In the final race of the meet he swam the final leg of the 400 free relay that placed first with a time of 3:20.29.

1-16-06 | Andre Heard (Oklahoma City, Okla.)

Senior guard Andre Heard (Oklahoma City, Okla.) averaged 23.0 points and 6.5 rebounds to lift BU to two road wins. He nailed 6-of-8 three-pointers en route to game-high 26 points at Maine and then scored 17 of the Bearcats' 23 second-half points in a one-point win at Boston. Heard is averaging 20.0 points in conference play and has accounted for 35% of Binghamton's offense during its current four-game win streak.

For his efforts, Heard was named the America East Co-Player of the Week.

1-9-06 | Rachel Laws (Wyncote, Pa.)

Senior guard Rachel Laws (Wyncote, Pa.) was named the America East Conference Co-Player of the Week. It is the first time this season and the fifth time in her career that she has earned the conference's Player of the Week award. Laws netted a game-high 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Bearcats defeated Maine 66-56 for their first-ever win on the Black Bears' home court. She followed up with a 10-point, 12-rebound effort in the Bearcats’ 74-54 win over New Hampshire. Laws now has three double-doubles this season and has reached the 20-point mark twice. For the season, Laws ranks second on the team with 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest.

12-19-05 | Sebastian Hermenier (Rockville, Md.)

Senior forward Sebastian Hermenier (Rockville, Md.) scored a career-high 24 points and added 10 rebounds in BU's 71-64 victory over North Florida. He was also honored as America East Player of the Week. Hermenier hit 9-of-10 shots and sank all five free throws in a near-perfect offensive performance. He has reached double figures in five consecutive games and has back-to-back double-doubles (points-rebounds).

12-12-05 | Rachel Laws (Wyncote, Pa.)

Senior guard Rachel Laws (Wyncote, Pa.) led a balanced attack with a game-high 14 points, pacing Binghamton to a 72-48 win over Lehigh (2-6) in a non-conference women's basketball game on Thursday night at the Events Center. Laws shot 7-of-9 from the field and led the team in scoring for the second game in a row. She added three rebounds, three assists and a steal. For the season, she leads the team with 12.0 points per game and has led the squad in scoring the past two games.

12-5-05 | David Holmes (Doncaster, England)

Junior swimmer David Holmes swam the 1000 free in 9:37.67, breaking the school record of 9:38.46 set by recent Binghamton Hall of Famer Matt Feinberg in 1996, this past week in a meet against Cornell. Holmes touched second in the 200 fly (1:53.13). He swam the final leg of the 400 free relay which took first place in 3:07.39.

11-28-05 | Brianna Thompson (Chehalis, Wash.)

Thompson scored a game-high and career-high 17 points and added a game-high and career-high nine rebounds, leading the women's basketball team to a 93-86 overtime win over a Canisius team that was undefeated and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Through three games this season, she has been the most improved player on the team. Thompson ranks second on the squad with 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds and leads the team with 1.3 blocks per contest.

11-21-05 | Entire Volleyball Team

The entire volleyball team has been named Athletes of the Week for November 14-20. The Bearcats captured the America East championship with back-to-back 3-1 wins over No. 3 Maine and No. 4 Stony Brook, and will now advance to the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time. The team was picked to finish sixth in the preseason conference poll, but instead went 10-2 against conference teams and were the No. 2 seed in the America East Championship tournament. The squad is the second BU women's team to win an America East Championship.

11-14-05 | Katie Radzik (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.)

Freshman Katie Radzik (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) placed 23rd in the women's race and earned All-Northeast Region honors, highlighting the Binghamton cross country teams' performances in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship on Saturday at Franklin Park in Boston.

The top 25 runners in both the men's and women's races receive All-Northeast Region honors. Radzik, who covered the 6K course in a time of 21:39, is the first men's or women's runner from Binghamton to finish in the top 25 of a regional race since the program moved up to the NCAA Division I level in 2001.

Radzik has now been named the Binghamton Athlete of the Week three times this year.

11-7-05 | David Holmes (Doncaster, England)

Junior swimmer David Holmes swam the final leg of 400 free relay that was the deciding race in the Bearcats' 123-120 win over defending America East Champion UMBC on Saturday. In that race, Holmes swam the last leg approximately a second and a half faster than his next quickest competitor to touch the wall in 3:11.73 for the victory in the race and meet. He also won the 200 free in 1:40.43. Another critical moment in the Bearcats upset was in the 200 fly, when Holmes touched the wall in 1:52.68, four thousands of a second faster than UMBC's Geza Szabo. Had he not won that event than Binghamton would not have been in the position to win the meet. Binghamton men's team improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 against conference foes after defeating two-time defending America East Champion UMBC for the first time.

10-31-05 | Katie Radzik (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.)

Freshman Katie Radzik (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) placed third in the women's race, highlighting Binghamton's performance at the America East Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning. Radzik's third-place effort is the best performance turned in by a Binghamton runner at the America East Conference meet. She covered the 5,000-meter course in a time of 18:38 and earned all-conference honors for placing in the top 10.

Radzik has now been named the Binghamton Athlete of the Week twice this year.

10-24-05 | Brenno Varanda (St. Petersburg, Fla.)

Freshman swimmer Brenno Varanda (St. Petersburg, Fla.) in his second collegiate meet was victorious in three events as the men's team defeated conference foe Boston University 163-128 to improve the team record to 2-0. In the 1000 free he plaeced first with a time of 9:58.42, more than 10 seconds faster than the next competitor. He won the 200 breast in 2:10.29, almost six seconds quicker than his competition. He also touched first in the 400 IM in 4:14.06.

10-17-05 | Jacki Kane (Centennial, Colo.)

Sophomore volleyball middle blocker Jacki Kane (Centennial, Colo.) has been named the BU Athlete of the Week for Oct. 10-Oct. 16. Kane helped the team remain undefeated in conference play (5-0) win a win over Maine on Friday. She tied both a career and team-high 18 kills. Kane also had a team-highs with a .455 hitting percentage, six blocks and 21.5 points in the win. In the fifth game against Maine, with Binghamton up 13-11, Kane delivered the Bearcat win with a kill then a block.

10-10-05 | Katie Brody (Vestal, N.Y.)

Junior volleyball outside hitter Katie Brody (Vestal, N.Y.) aided the team in both of the wins during the America East matches this weekend to help Binghamton remain undefeated in conference play (4-0). She averaged team-highs of 4.00 kills and 4.94 points per game this past week. She also was third on the team with 2.50 kills per game. In the win over Stony Brook, she led the team with 13 kills. In the stunning win over defending America East Champion Albany, Brody had a team-high 19 kills, including the final to kills in the last game to defeat Albany 31-29. In the Albany match she also had 12 digs and 4 blocks. Brody has led the team in kills 16 matches this season. For the season Brody leads the team with 3.55 kills and 4.05 points per game. The 3.55 kills per game is just over a kill more a game than any other Bearcat.

10-3-05 | Brian O'Connor (New Rochelle, N.Y.)

Senior tennis player Brian O'Connor (New Rochelle, N.Y.) has been named the BU Athlete of the Week for Sept. 26-Oct. 2. The senior captain led the Bearcats to a pair of wins and a ninth place finish at the ECAC Championship. He posted two wins at No. 3 singles and two more victories at the top doubles spot. O'Connor raised his singles record to 9-2 this fall and 73-29 for his stellar four-year career. His two victories helped the Bearcats knock off arch rival Stony Brook, 4-3, and then he earned two more wins in BU's 5-2 upset of ninth-seeded American University.

9-26-05 | Luc Vallone (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.)

Senior back Luc Vallone (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.) has been named the America East Conference Player of the Week for Sept. 18-25. It is the first time in his career he has received the honor.

Valone scored two goals and added one assist in Binghamton’s two victories last week. He had a goal and an assist in Binghamton’s 3-2 come-from-behind win at Vermont on Saturday in the team’s first conference game of the year. With Binghamton down 2-1, Vallone assisted on the tying goal with 17:14 left in regulation. He then took matters into his own hands, scoring the winning goal with 12:11 left to go. Earlier in the week, Vallone netted a goal in Binghamton’s 3-0 win over Oneonta.

"Luc has put the extra time and energy into winning a starting role on our team," head coach Paul Marco said. "He has taken advantage of the opportunity and his game-winning goal against Vermont was fantastic.

9-19-05 | Katie Brody (Vestal, N.Y.)

Junior volleyball outside hitter Katie Brody (Vestal, N.Y.) helped the Bearcats this past week as the team went 2-2. In the four matches, Brody averaged 3.79 kills per game, 2.43 digs per game and 4.14 points per game; in all four matches she led the team in kills. On Tuesday against Colgate Brody hit .333 with 15 kills and five errors on 30 attempts. Against Niagara on Saturday she had 21 kills, 23 digs and 24.0 points. Brody was the lone Bearcat named to the all-tournament team at the Medical Mutual CSU Invitational this past weekend.


9-12-05 | Katie Radzik (Mt. Sinai, N.Y)

Freshman Katie Radzik won the women's individual title, highlighting the Binghamton Cross Country Invitational on Saturday morning. Radzik won her second consecutive race by covering the 5,000 meter course in a time of 18:21. She finished 17 seconds ahead of Syracuse's Elizabeth Cufari.

"Katie ran an awesome race," head coach Annette Acuff said. "Her time for this course was very respectable. She ran even better today than she did last week (at Colgate).

The eight-team race featured conference rivals Albany, UMBC and Maine as well as non-conference Columbia, Colgate, Syracuse and Siena.

9-5-05 | Megan Hoag (Brunswick, Ohio)

In three matches last week junior middle blocker Megan Hoag (Brunswick, Ohio) led the volleyball team with 3.15 kills and 2.92 digs per game. Against St. John's on Saturday, she posted a career-high 18 kills. She is the only member of the team to have a double-double in all three of the matches to help lead the volleyball team to its first 4-0 start since the 1997 season.

8-29-05 | Kristie Bowers (Rochester, N.Y.)

Junior goalkeeper Kristie Bowers (Rochester, N.Y.) had back to back shutouts for the women's soccer team to start the 2005 season. In Friday's season opener at Iona she recorded nine saves in 110 minutes of work and on Sunday in the home opener she made six saves in 98 minutes. This is the first time since the 1997 season where Binghamton has shutout both of its opponents in the first two games of the season.