Winter 2007/2008

Greetings from the Hynes Athletics Center! The fall athletic season is coming to an end and the winter season is getting in full swing. The winter season has such promise but we cannot forget the great successes that our fall sports were able to accomplish this year. Nearly every team is competing for a championship.

Men's Cross Country: The men's cross-country team, which is currently ranked 4th in the USTFCCCA Division I Men's Cross Country Poll, raced their way to the team's 17th straight MAAC Championship, held at Van Cortlandt Park. Junior Mohamed Khadraoui was the individual winner, finishing the 8k race in a time of 25:10.9. Iona held the top four positions and placed six individuals in the top eight. The Gaels picked up their third straight NCAA Northeast Regional title, held at Franklin Park in Boston. Senior Abraham Ng'etich, junior Harbert Okuti and senior Andrew Ledwith finished third, fourth and fifth respectively to lead the Gaels to the victory. The Maroon & Gold also earned five selections to the USTFCCCA Division I Men's Cross Country All-Region Team, which was tied with Providence. Juniors Mohamed Khadraoui and Andrew Ledwith and seniors Mathew Kiplagat, Abraham Ng'Etich, and Harbert Okuti were named to All-Region Team. At the 2007 NCAA Championships, the Gaels were in contention all the way and came in second, with 113 points, behind Oregon (85 points) and 67 points better than third-place Oklahoma State. The second place finish is the highest finish at the national championship by any Iona College athletic program ever. This is the third-straight year the Maroon & Gold earned a spot on the championship podium and the fourth in the last five years.

Women's Cross Country: The women's cross-country team has been a program on the rise and they are currently ranked 14th in the Northeast Region. Junior McKayla Plank led the Gaels to their third and back-to-back MAAC Championship. Plank was the individual winner of the 6K race with a time of 21:31.6. Plank also paced the Maroon & Gold at the 2007 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship, as she was second overall coming at 20:30.4, which was two seconds off the race winner. The Gaels finished 11th overall and were the top MAAC finisher. With her second place finish, Plank earned an invitation to represent the Gaels at the 2007 NCAA Championship. The Gaels also earned two USTFCCCA Division I Women's Cross Country All-Region Team selections in juniors McKayla Plank and Ashling Baker. At the 2007 NCAA Championships, Plank was in the second group for the majority of the race and came across the line 98th out of almost 300 runners. She finished with a time of 21:31.2.

Men's Soccer: The men's soccer team rebounded from a shaky start to the 2007 season. After a 3-6 start, the Gaels started MAAC play 3-0 with victories over Manhattan, Rider and Saint Peter's. Tough losses to Loyola and Niagara were erased from memory as senior Pasquale Abiuso and Paul Racines combined for five goals on senior day in a win over Canisius. The Gaels closed out conference play with two double-overtime ties to Marist and Siena and an overtime loss to Fairfield. The Gaels went into the MAAC Championships, held at Walt Disney World, as the No. 5 seed, but fell to No. 4 Canisius in the quarterfinals.

Football: The football team had one of its best years since the program took the MAAC Championship in 1993. The Gaels clinched a winning season finishing with a record of 7-4 and will share the MAAC Championship with Marist and Duquesne, all having a 2-1 conference record. The Maroon & Gold recognized and honored the program's 23 seniors before its final home game, a 17-14 loss to Marist on November 10.

Volleyball: The women's volleyball, under second year head coach Alan Edwards and assistant coach Jessica Mannetti, had a strong second half of the season. The Gaels finished their 2007 schedule with a 13-17 overall record, 10-7 in the MAAC. Iona also finished the season with a .500 record on the newly painted Hynes Athletic Center floor. Freshman libero Alison Nieters is averaging 6.86 digs per game and junior setter Alyssa Morales has 1189 assists in 117 games. Iona earned a number four seed to the 2007 Semifinal round of the MAAC Championship, hosted by Fairfield, on Nov. 18. They faced number one Siena and fell 3-1. Senior Kristin Allain had 19 kills and 12 digs and junior Kendall Paulus had 15 kills and 17 digs. Freshman Allison Nieters rounded up 19 digs while sophomore Alyssa Morales had 41 assists.

Men's Water Polo: The men's water polo team has been ranked several times this season in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Poll and as high as ninth. The Gaels finished with an 11-14 and 3-4 record in Northern Division, which was fifth. The Gaels went to the Northern Division Championships as the fifth seed and avenged an early season loss to MIT in the opening round. The Gaels were just edged in the third place game by Harvard but their fourth place finish earned them a trip to the Eastern Championships. Iona advanced to the Eastern Championships for the fourth time in 14 years. The Gaels, though, lost tough contests to No. 1 Navy, No. 4 Brown and No. 6 Johns Hopkins.

Women's Soccer: The 2007 season was a rebuilding and learning year for the Gaels. With fourteen freshman and just three seniors, Iona concluded their regular season at home honoring the program's seniors and falling in a tough contest overtime contest to Loyola. The team has a bright future as freshman Carol Danis led the squad with six goals. Junior Liz Allan was an All-MAAC Second Team selection and freshmen Diane Hare and Ali Werner were selected to the All-MAAC Rookie Team. Nine Gaels were also selected the MAAC All-Academic Team.

The winter season promises to be as if not more exciting for the Maroon & Gold. The women's basketball team, under head coach Anthony Bozzella, looks to build off the program's history making 2006-07 campaign, and return to the MAAC Championship game and the postseason. Pre-season All-MAAC First Team selection senior co-captain Tiara Headen will lead the Gaels, who were selected sixth in the MAAC.

On the men's side, there is great promise as the Willard Era has begun under first year head coach Kevin Willard. The Maroon & Gold have many marquee games on their schedule including a date with MAAC for Manhattan at Madison Square Garden on January 30.

Both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams have been their 2007-08 schedules and are anxious to contend for a MAAC Championship.

Iona Community Service:

The fall season isn't just about what our student-athletes do on the field of competition but what they do to impact the community. Over 400 student-athletes dedicated their time to help out the local community and charities through volunteer efforts. The events included the Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk, Light the Night for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Westchester Triatholon, both to benefit Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. To find out more of what our student-athletes do to give back to the community, please visit the S.A.A.C. page.

Athletic Department Updates:

In order to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of Division I college athletics, we are currently in the midst of the Capital Improvements Fund, which will enable us to upgrade our locker room facilities in Hynes Athletic Center East. Improvements to the lockers, showers, bathrooms and dressing areas for both men's and women's teams will allow our athletes to practice, prepare and succeed from pre-game to post-game. We are also in the beginning stages of renovating Rice Oval into a state-of-the-art field turf facility to be the home our Division I softball program. Other improvements to the Athletic Department include the lobby of Hynes East. Not only does it include the Goal Club Hall of Fame and trophy case recognizing Iona's many accomplishments, but now also recognizes all 22 Division I athletics teams on the carpet. Our athletes are enjoying and actively using the newly built weight room in Hynes East and our coaches and staff is able to operate in comfortable environment with new office space in Hynes and Hynes East. Through your support, we can continue to give our student-athletes every advantage to succeed and enjoy their experience as a Gaels. For information about the renovations, please visit www.icgaels.com and check out some photos of the renovations here.

I want to thank you again for your support through this wonderful time for Iona athletic and I look forward to seeing you at the games! I wish the best to you and yours and may it be a lovely and wonderful holiday season.

Go Gaels!

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please click here to email Athletics Director Patrick Lyons.