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Rising in the Fall
Dedicated coaches and eager student-athletes combined to make the fall 2003 season one of NYIT's most successful to date.
Women's volleyball (28-7), men's soccer (14-2-2) and women's soccer (10-7-2) each completed winning seasons and drew praise from their conference rivals.
Dominating the Court
The women's volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament but fell in the semifinals to Queens College. Head Coach Gail Wasmus and Assistant Coaches Susan Walker and Dan Prisco expect continued success. Half of the team's 12 student-athletes are freshmen. Junior Burcu Hakeyemez (Istanbul, Turkey) earned her third consecutive all-conference award, garnering first team accolades. Freshman Nathalia Rivera (San Juan, Puerto Rico) earned second team all-conference honors.
Tourney Invite
The men's soccer team, led by Head Coach Carlos Del Cid and Assistant Coach Didier Orellana, also qualified for the Division II tournament but suffered an opening round defeat to East Stroudsburg University.
Still, several personal honors followed the season-ending loss. Del Cid earned NYCAC Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive time and junior Manuel Martinez (Hempstead, N.Y.) was the conference's Player of the Year.
Martinez led a balanced NYIT scoring attack, registering 20 points (6 goals, 8 assists) as he helped the Bears to their best record in more than 15 years and their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1985.
Other leading scorers included sophomore Eduardo Anacleto (7,2), junior Johan Aliaga (7,0) and sophomore Benedic Atta-Peters (4,6).
Making History
Women's soccer, under Head Coach Joe Zydor and Assistant Coaches Carisa Smithson and Margeau Okner, generated their best record in team history. Sophomore midfielder Crystal Pinzon (7 goals, 6 assists) earned second team all-conference honors. Other leading scorers included sophomore Nicole Dell'olio (9,1) and junior Erin O'Hare (7,3).
The fall season ranks among the best ever at NYIT, according to Clyde Doughty Jr. (B.S. '82, M.S. '96, M.P.S., '99), director of athletics and recreation. "Our student-athletes earned numerous individual honors," says Doughty. "But those honors were based on impressive team results."
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