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Oct. 27, 2008 PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) baseball team announced their captains for the 2009 season. The women’s cross country team repeated as Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Champions and the women’s volleyball team swept competition in straight sets this week to stay on top of the MEAC Northern Division. Christina Estebané and Solomon Kirongo were named the UMES Athlete's of the Week for the period ending October 19. BASEBALL Pat Hercinger, Remo Orsini, and Philip Vaughn were named team captains for the 2009 UMES baseball season.
"The vote was extremely close and we had some very solid nominations," said Head Coach Will Gardner. "I think these three student-athletes will do an exceptional job of providing examples to each other and the rest of the team. I'm very happy with the outcome." Hercinger, the lone senior of the trio, leads in a passive, authoritative manner. An Ellsworth Junior College transfer, Hercinger played 55 games for the Hawks a season ago and hit .218 with five doubles and 31 RBIs. Orsini, a sophomore, is one of three players from the 2008 season that played in all 56 games. He had 50 total bases and 15 stolen bases. Vaughn, a junior, led the MEAC in steals with 23. He also led the team in runs (41), hits (54), total bases (67), hit-by-pitches (12), triples (three) and on-base percentage (.376). The UMES baseball alumni game has been postponed to Nov. 1. The 2009 Hawks will play alumni in one game at noon. All former players are encouraged to attend. The cost is just $30 and each participant will receive a t-shirt, catered lunch, batting practice and participation in the game. Family members of alumni can eat for $12 each. While alumni are encouraged to participate in the day, the game, however, is limited to former players. If an alumnus wants to participate, they will still receive batting practice, lunch and a shirt. To sign up, RSVP to Assistant Coach Eric Armstrong at 410-651-8908 or emarmstrong@umes.edu. CROSS COUNTRY Senior Merrecia James was named MEAC Athlete of the Week for cross country by the conference Wednesday. James finished fifth in 18:59.95 at Delaware's Blue Hen Classic five-kilometer race, leading the Lady Hawks to a fourth-place result as a team.
The UMES women's cross country team won the MEAC Championships and the men's team was second Saturday, as the Hawks missed out on becoming the first conference school since 1992 to win both titles in consecutive years. The Lady Hawks beat out Norfolk State (73) and Hampton (108) for the title, scoring 55 points. It is the school's third women's cross country MEAC championship in history. UMES had four of the top-11 runners in the five-kilometer event with Tamica Thomas and Celia Whyte finishing seventh and eighth in 18:39.70 and 18:41.40, respectively. Eunice Jones in 18:52.49 and James in 18:57.57, finished 10th and 11th, while Cynthia Anais finished 19th in 19.28.40. "My philosophy with cross country is that the pack always wins," said MEAC Most Outstanding Coach award recipient Ernest Barrett. "If you run as a team that's how you win championships." On the men's side, the Hawks, who scored 82 points, edged Delaware State (98) for second. Peter Sang and Amon Kiprotich were second and third with times of 25:40.47 and 25:55.27. The Hawks' third scorer Shadrock Maritim managed to finish 15th despite losing a shoe with over three miles remaining. He crossed in 27:38.85. WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL The last time the women's volleyball team was in Dover, Del. facing Delaware State University (DSU), the match was pushed to five sets before UMES captured the win. This time, however, the Lady Hawks overcame a tight third set to defeat DSU 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-22) for the second time this season. Estebané continued to be outstanding, posting a game-high 40 assists with five digs and two service aces. Whitney Johnson was in true Player of the Year form, knocking down a game-high 15 kills with just two errors. Leah Amundson finished with a team-high nine digs. For the second season in a row, the UMES women's volleyball team finished their home schedule undefeated. Their win over Hampton University 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-16) marks 16 straight wins at home for the Lady Hawks and puts them just two wins away from back-to-back undefeated MEAC Northern Division Titles.
UMES was amazingly accurate on the day, hitting 81-percent from floor in the first set, with four players hitting over .600 for the match. "Today was the day that we honored our seniors," said Head Coach Don Metil. "However, our seniors and the rest of the team understand that we still have goals that we would like to achieve. It was our senior's last home match, but not this year's last match." Christine Edwards and Johnson led the attack for the Lady Hawks. Edwards finished with a game-high 11 kills with just one error. Johnson was perfect on the day, putting down 10 kills with zero errors. Estebané had a game-high 31 assists and Caylin Woodward finished with a game-high six digs. UMES honored seniors Estebané, Amundson, Chanita Wesley and Adora Luster. The foursome combine for 325 aces, 967 kills, 2,074 digs and 2,212 assists in career stats. UPCOMING MATCHES The Lady Hawks travel to Baltimore, Md. next to face MEAC rival Coppin State on October 31. They head back across the bridge on November 2 to Howard University, the number two team in the Northern Division. Two wins on the road secures their second straight undefeated Northern Division title and puts them in a good position for the MEAC Championships in Hampton, Va. |
