Sporting News CT – SNCTTV

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – For the second year in a row, Southern Connecticut State University offensive lineman James Economou (Coram, N.Y.) has been named a preseason All-American by Consensus Draft Services.

Economou, who will be a junior this fall, enjoyed a strong sophomore season in which he earned All-Northeast-10 Conference honors for the second straight year. He was an All-Region and All-Conference selection as a redshirt freshman in 2008.

The Owls finished the 2009 season with a 6-4 record and claimed the Northeast-10 Conference championship for the second time in the past four years. The 2010 season opener is on Sept. 4 at Indiana (Pa.).

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Southern Connecticut State University baseball team has finished the 2010 season ranked No. 20 nationally in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. The Owls concluded the year with a mark of 38-13-1 and tied a program single-season record for victories. In the process, SCSU won the Northeast-10 Conference regular season title and also reached the finals of the NCAA East Regional.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Keith Allain '80, Yale's Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach of Hockey and one of the most experienced and successful coaches in the United States, has been named the head coach of the 2011 U.S. National Junior Team. The appointment marks Allain's third stint as head coach of a U.S. National Junior Team, having taken on the role in 2001 and 2002.

"It is a great honor to be chosen to coach this team," said Allain. "Every time you get to represent your country, it's a terrific experience. The chance to do so in front of our home fans will make this occasion even more special."

The U.S. National Junior Team will take part in the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2010 - Jan. 5, 2011 in Buffalo, N.Y. The U.S. will be aiming for its second consecutive title, having won the gold medal last year at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Regina and Saskatoon, Sask.

Allain owns a 9-3-2 overall record as a head coach in the event, giving him the top winning percentage (.714) of any U.S. head coach to have served on multiple teams.

In addition to his U.S. National Junior Team experience, Allain has served as an assistant coach on two U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Teams (1992, 2006) and two U.S. Men's National Teams (2005, 2006). He also served as an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning 1996 U.S. World Cup of Hockey squad and was the goalie coach for the 2004 U.S. World Cup of Hockey Team.

"Keith has a wealth of experience, including at the international level, and we're really pleased that he's agree to lead our team in Buffalo," said Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey, who will also serve as general manager of the 2011 U.S. National Junior Team. "He knows how to get the most out of players and has proven that at every level of hockey."

Allain has led the Bulldogs to three Ivy League titles, two ECAC Hockey regular-season championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances in his four seasons. Under Allain, the Bulldogs have won 20 or more games in each of the last two seasons, the first time that has happened in Yale history.

A former starting goaltender for Yale, Allain began his coaching career following a two-year (1980-82) stint playing professional hockey in Sweden. He served as an assistant coach for Yale from 1982-85 before returning to Sweden to coach and serve as a scout for the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals. Allain served as an assistant coach for the Capitals from 1993-97, and helped Jim Carey win the 1996 Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender. He went on to be the goalie coach for the NHL's St. Louis Blues from 1998-2006 before arriving at Yale.

HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac University men’s lacrosse seniors Alex DeAlmeida (Point Pleasant, N.J.) and Crandon Leahy (Cohasset, Mass.) have been selected to play in the 2010 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) Turfer East/West All-Star Game, to be played Sunday, June 6 at Emerson College in Boston.

DeAlmeida was a solid contributor in the Bobcats’ midfield, tallying five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 2010. He also picked up 12 ground balls.

Leahy has been a constant on the Bobcats’ defense for the last four years, picking up nearly 50 ground balls. This past year, Leahy caused 12 turnovers.

Bulldog Forward Battling Leukemia, in Urgent Need of Marrow or Cord Blood Donor

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – As Yale women’s ice hockey player Mandi Schwartz continues to battle leukemia, efforts to find her a matching marrow or cord blood donor have intensified. With help from some former Bulldogs, those efforts have expanded to include everything from hockey tournaments in Canada to the World’s Largest Baby Shower in Atlanta. For details on how you can help find a life-saving donor, read on.

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HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac University junior Joe Poletsky (Riverside, Conn.) was named to the All-Northeast Conference Second Team, as announced by the conference office at the annual banquet on the eve of the start of the 2010 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament. Poletsky set career-highs in several categories, while also leading the Bobcats in NEC play. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Miguel Nesrala (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), a sophomore on the Southern Connecticut State University men’s swimming and diving team, has been recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) with Second-Team Academic All-District I honors. District I is comprised of all Division II and Division III schools from New York and all of New England. Nesrala was vying against male student-athletes in the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, tennis, volleyball, water polo and wrestling for this prestigious honor in the At-Large category.

Nesrala enjoyed an outstanding 2009-10 academic year in the pool and in the classroom.

In the pool, he earned All-America honors in four events – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay – at this year’s NCAA Championships. He won seven Northeast-10 Conference individual championships at the league’s post season meet – 200 freestyle relay, 50 freestyle, 400 medley relay, 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 800 freestyle relay and 100 freestyle. Nesrala also claimed the Metropolitan Conference crown in the 50 freestyle.

In the classroom, Nesrala was the winner of the inaugural 2010 Northeast-10 Conference Men’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award and a Northeast-10 Men’s Swimming and Diving All-Academic Team honoree.

To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence award the student-athlete must have completed at least two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment at their current institution and at least two years of athletic eligibility at any institution. In addition, the student-athlete must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of a 3.30.

Nesrala is a business major with a 3.5 cumulative grade point average.