Winter 2004/05 Greetings from the Mulcahy Center! As we enter into our winter seasons, there has been plenty to cheer about during the Fall season with Iona College Athletics! Our men's cross country team has continued its regional and national dominance. After capturing their 14th consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship on Oct. 30, the Gaels finished seventh at the NCAA Championship on Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, IN. It is Iona's third top 10 finish at the national championship in as many years. Congratulations to head coach Mick Byrne and his team for another outstanding accomplishment! The women's soccer team posted an unbeaten 8-0-2 record at home during the 2004 campaign and qualified for the MAAC Championships for the second time in the last 10 years. After being selected to finish eighth in the preseason coaches poll, the Gaels went on to finish fourth and second-year head coach Emma Hayes was honored by her peers as the 2004 Anaconda Sports/MAAC Coach of the year. The volleyball team, under first-year head coach Kris Zeiter, blazed a new path for the program. After compiling an 8-1 regular season record in MAAC play, the No. 2 seeded Gaels breezed through the MAAC Championship, sweeping No. 3 seeded Rider in the semifinals and top-seeded Fairfield in the finals. With the conference title, Iona earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball championship ? the program's first-ever postseason appearance in the national championship tournament. These accomplishments were made possible, in large part, to the tremendous fan and financial support you have helped provide us over the past few months. Off the Field Over the last couple of months, one of our primary goals was to become one of the most respected athletic departments in the entire country. A major tenet involved giving back to the very community that lends us so much support. I am now happy to report that due to the efforts of our over 400 student-athletes, we are well on our way of achieving this goal. I encourage you to look at the Gaels in the In the Community Section of our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) website. This webpage details the many community service initiatives that our student-athletes have participated in, including Thanksgiving Food Drives for the needy, “Midnight Runs” for the homeless of New York City, as well as various sporting clinics. Through the SAAC, which consists of members of each of Iona's 21 NCAA Division I programs, a community service group was formed to oversee the various projects that each team would take part in through the academic year. As you will see from the pictures, our student-athletes have done wonderful work in helping to strengthen our campus and surrounding communities. Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. Thank you for your continued support and please come out and support your Gaels whenever you can! Go Gaels! If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please click here to e-mail Athletics Director Patrick Lyons | 