A video tribute to Hofstra softball coach Bill Edwards upon induction into Hall of Fame

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications
In honor of his induction into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Dec. 11, a video tribute to Hofstra head coach Bill Edwards has been released on youtube featuring insights on what has made the longtime Pride coach such a success both on and off the field. The 8:20 video features an assortment of interviews from many in the Hofstra family including president Stuart Rabinowitz, athletic director Jack Hayes, senior associate director of athletics Cindy Lewis and head basketball coach Tom Pecora. Edwards has been Hofstra's head softball coach since 1990 and in that nearly two-decade stretch has guided the program to national prominence with 721 wins, 11 straight conference titles from 1998-2008 and NCAA Tournament regional finals appearances in 2004, 2005 and 2008. The Coach Edwards video tribute was edited and produced by Len Thon, executive producer and director of Hofstra Multimedia Productions. 

Hofstra women's basketball wins Battle of Long Island over Stony Brook

It was fitting that congestion played a role in Monday night’s Battle of Long Island between the region’s two Division I college women’s basketball programs, Hofstra and Stony Brook. Stony Brook got stuck in a massive traffic jam during its 37 mile trip to Hempstead and did not arrive to the Mack Sports Complex until just moments before the game's 7 p.m. scheduled tip-off.  

The game ended up starting 45 minutes late and Stony Brook’s offense was also tardy putting up only six points in the game’s first 11 minutes enabling Hofstra to build a 21-6 lead. The Pride then held off a late Seawolve rally for a 67-61 victory to improve to 7-3 before a trip to Texas after Christmas to face Southern Methodist and Rice.

Despite the win before 321 fans at the Mack Sports Complex on a frigid first official day of winter, Hofstra head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey was frustrated in the post-game press conference that her team let Stony Brook hang around late in the game after building a large lead.

“The shots that were taken down that stretch, that is not my team,” said Kilburn-Steveskey. “We need to have a voice on the floor, that is really what is missing.”

Hofstra-St. John's in-game blog

I join you for a live blog of the Hofstra-St. John's men's basketball game in the annual Holiday Festival a little late due to some technical difficulties here at Madison Square Garden. Hofstra has battled back from a 24-15 deficit and is now down 32-29 with 3:02 left and a timeout on the floor. A small crowd here in "the World's Most Famous Arena" probably due to the snow and the New York Jets having a big game against the Atlanta Falcons going on at the same time. However there are some vocal Hofstra fans in the crowd.  Let's pick things up from here and I will try and give you the important details of the game as well as the overall atmosphere inside MSG.

First half
1:07- Greg Washington rattles home a medium range jumper. 37-36 St. John's.

0.0 Chaz Williams was unsuccessful with an acrobatic shot while driving to the hoop that would have given Hofstra its first lead of the half. Instead the Pride can take solace that it heads into the locker room down 37-36 after trailing by as many as nine. Stay tuned for the second half, which will hopefully be free of technical issues.

Second half

19:09- Goaltending called on a Chaz Williams shot. Hofstra with its first lead of the game 38-37

17:53- Williams shows why he is a one man fast break and goes coast to coast for the bucket. 40-37 and timeout called by St. John's coach Norm Roberts. Hofstra enters this match up having won four in a row against St. John's but the teams have not met in three years. The winner of this game will face Cornell tomorrow night, as the Big Red defeated Davidson on a three pointer at the buzzer 91-88 in overtime earlier today.

17:17 Nathaniel Lester goes off glass off an inbounds pass. 42-37 Hofstra

16:48- Lester is hot as he hits jumper from corner to give Hofstra a 44-37 lead and force Norm Roberts to burn another timeout

Hofstra-St. John's men's basketball game to be live-blogged

Log onto "Inside the Pride” on Sunday Dec. 20 starting at 2 p.m. for a live blog of the Hofstra men’s basketball game against St. John’s at the Aeropostale Holiday Festival in Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden. The blog will provide fans the important details of Hofstra’s first meeting against St. John’s in three years as well as the overall atmosphere inside the “World's Most Famous Arena.” Hofstra enters the St. John’s game 7-3 and on a four game winning streak while the Red Storm are 8-1, with its only loss coming to Duke.

Hofstra women's basketball freshman playing like a veteran

Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

Not even a broken nose suffered against number-one ranked Connecticut on Nov. 27 could slow down freshman Shante Evans’s quick adjustment from playing girl’s high school basketball in suburban Philadelphia to Division I women’s college hoops. Since the pain she incurred at UConn, the 6’0 forward has pressed ahead with her stellar inside play despite having to wear a mask and through Hofstra’s first nine games leads the Pride in scoring and rebounding.

Thanks to the effort Evans has given in the paint, the Pride are off to a 6-3 start heading into its next game at home versus Stony Brook on Monday night at 7 p.m. In Hofstra’s last game at Manhattan a week ago, Evans scored a career high 22 points along with 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of her young career to help lead the Pride to a 73-65 win.

"She’s the kind of the kid that is so unselfish but yet really competitive and has a lot of goals but she doesn’t let anything get to her head,” said Hofstra women’s basketball head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey of her star freshman, who is averaging 11.8 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. “She has the total package.”

Hofstra wrestling benefits from new practice facility

 Courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications 
In another sign of Hofstra wrestling’s steady growth during last decade into one of the premier programs in the nation, a new state-of-the art practice facility was christened for the start of the 2009/2010 season.

The new Teague Ryan Wrestling Complex includes a practice area called the Raymond Downey Sr. Wrestling Room that includes new mats and audio system with state-of-the-art speakers that power the room. The facility also includes the Rudy Fiorvanti Strength and Cardio Center, a video room, new wrestling offices, a student-athlete lounge for academic work and an alumni reception area where past Hofstra wrestlers can visit.

“The new facility we have puts us in a great situation for a lot of reasons,” said Hofstra head wrestling coach Tom Shifflet. “Instead of having just a wrestling room, we made it into a facility where we try to establish something that can fit the needs of everything that these guys need for training.”

In addition to the new Teague Ryan Wrestling Complex aiding the current Pride grapplers, Shifflet is hoping it will also serve as an attraction for potential recruits who covet a facility of this caliber when they select what school to attend.

“You talk to any wrestling program, or really in any sport, the coaches will tell you how important having a nice facility is when it comes to bringing prospects on campus,” said Shifflet. “When you are fitting the needs of the wrestlers and you put a facility like this in and do the renovations, it shows the importance of the program from the coaching staff to the athletic director, to the president of the university, to the alumni….. and that is important to these guys.”

The new facility was constructed inside Hofstra’s Physical Fitness Center thanks to a $250,000 fund-raising drive. The complex is named for the late Teague Ryan, son of former Hofstra wrestling coach Tom Ryan, who tragically died in 2004 at age five from a heart complication. The wrestling room is named for Raymond Downey Sr., a New York City firefighter, who was killed responding to the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and had two sons Joe and Ray Jr. wrestle for Hofstra in the 1980s. The strength and cardio center honors Rudy Fiorvanti, who was a captain for the Hofsra wrestling, football and lacrosse teams in the 1970s, and died in April 2007.

 “It certainly brings a breath of fresh air, said Shifflet of what the new complex means to the Hofstra wrestling program for this season and going forward. “It motivates you.”

Hofstra offense brightened in win over UNH

What a difference one game can make. In a 44-39 win over Manhattan Wednesday the Hofstra men’s basketball team’s offense was a cloud of dust but Saturday afternoon the Pride shooting was a ray of sunshine in a 75-58 triumph over New Hampshire at the Mack Sports Complex.

In the ugly offensive struggle against Manhattan Hofstra only shot 35%, but versus UNH the Pride connected on 47% of their shots including 67% from three-point range to post its fourth victory in a row and improve to 7-3 on the young season. Hofstra nearly equaled its entire scoring from the Manhattan game in the first half in taking a 43-31 lead into the locker room and were never seriously threatened in the second half with its lead growing to as many as 24.

“I think [UNH] is one of the best teams in the America East from what everyone has told me, so it is a good win,” said Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora in the post-game press conference. “We can definitely build off of it.”

Hofstra wins ugly defensive struggle over Manhattan

While Hofstra’s offense floundered in Wednesday night’s men’s college basketball game against Manhattan with 35% shooting, the defense shined holding the Jaspers to 21% from the floor. This stingy defensive effort that included holding Manhattan 13:29 in the first half without a field goal helped Hofstra pull off a gritty 44-39 win over its local New York City area non conference rival before a spirited crowd of 3,076 at the Mack Sports Complex.

After Manhattan went up 5-0 1:36 into the game, Hofstra went on a 19-0 run with the Jaspers missing 22 straight shots during its scoring drought that propelled the Pride to a lead it would never relinquish. However despite dominating defensively, Hofstra only led 23-18 at halftime and was never able to pull away in the second half leaving Pride head coach Tom Pecora not satisfied with his team’s overall performance in the post game press conference.

“We looked like a team that wasn’t focused,” said Pecora. “I thought our shot selection was poor.”

“We felt fortunate to only be down by five at the half,” said Manhattan head coach Barry Rohrsen referring to his team giving up a 19-0 run early in the game.

With Hofstra finding a way to win despite not playing well offensively, the Pride finds itself 6-3 heading into the home stretch of the non-conference portion of the schedule with its next game at home versus New Hampshire this Saturday at 4 p.m. 

Capurso on fire in Hofstra women’s basketball win over Providence

Nicole Capurso was not slotted into the Hofstra women’s basketball starting lineup for Tuesday night game against Providence but once she entered the court the Friars did not have an answer for her. The sophomore shooting guard tied her career high with 23 points including five three pointers to lead Hofstra to a 72-68 win over the Big East foe in front of 471 fans at the Mack Sports Complex.

Capurso seemed like she couldn’t miss at times shooting 53% from the floor including 46% from beyond the arc. Her final basket came on a three pointer with 7:43 left that gave Hofstra its largest lead of the second half 60-53 and the Pride managed to survive a late Providence rally for the important win that snaps a three-game losing streak.

“I think every single shot I take is going in,” said Capurso of her mindset before every game. “That is my downfall and my blessing.”

Exciting new developments for Hofstra baseball heading into 2010

While winter is only two weeks away the Hofstra baseball team is eager for spring to blossom with some recent positive developments giving second year head coach Patrick Anderson plenty of optimism for his program in 2010 and beyond.

Some of the exciting news that has unfolded for the Hofstra baseball team in recent months include planned enhancements to University Field for the coming season, an eighth-member recruiting class consisting of top-notch players from around the country, as well as a prized transfer from San Diego State.

The improvements to University Field that are planned for 2010 include 400 new grandstand seats as well as a press box. “We’re so beyond excited about this,” said Coach Anderson of what the facility enhancement will mean for his program.

Playing at the revamped University Field in 2011 will be eight players who Coach Anderson announced on Nov. 25 as part of his latest recruiting class. This renowned group includes Logan Davis (Cave Creek, AZ), Angelo Gargano (Hainesville, IL), Bobby Gazzola (Coram, NY), Kenny Jackson (Ronkonkoma, NY), Everett Keller (Port Washington, NY), Nick Kozlowski (Huntington Station, NY), Matt Reistetter (Hauppauge, NY) and Bryan Verbitsky (Levittown, NY). Anderson is excited for what all these players will bring to the table, especially Davis, who is the son of 1989 National League Cy Young Award winner Mark Davis and can play either infield or pitcher.

Hofstra women’s basketball ramps up intensity to prep for Providence

During back-to-back heartbreaking one-point losses to Clemson and Richmond last weekend in Storrs, Conn., the Hofstra women’s basketball team held late leads but was not able to finish. Much of the theme during this morning’s intense three hour practice at the Mack Sports Complex was preaching how to execute in late-game pressure situations as the Pride get set to end a nine-day layoff with a home game against Providence this Tuesday night.

“Today was a game-like practice,” said Hofstra women’s basketball head coach Krista Kliburn-Steveskey adding that each drill this week has been at a high intensity level. “We haven’t written in one practice plan that started off soft.”

After Hofstra (3-3) fell in the final seconds to Richmond 42-41 Sunday afternoon, Kilburn-Steveskey gave her team the next two days to heal mentally and physically as the Pride had just played four games in five days. However once practice resumed on Wednesday she ramped up the intensity to get her players fully prepared for a Big East Conference opponent.

Hofstra women's basketball's behind the scenes preparation vs. UConn featured nationally

Sports fans across the nation now can get an inside glimpse of what life was like for the Hofstra women's basketball team last Friday as the Pride prepared to take on number-one ranked and defending national champion Connecticut at the WBCA Classic. A story highlighting a day in a life of a major underdog like Hofstra getting ready to battle a national powerhouse was featured on ESPN.com yesterday. The Pride proceeded to play UConn tough for much of the first half before falling 91-46. Hofstra then dropped back-to-back one point heartbreakers to Clemson and Richmond the next two days at the WBCA Classic and are 3-3 on the season heading into its next game at home versus Providence on Dec. 8.

Jenkins-Lester duo propels Hofstra to huge win over Fairfield

Monday night was the Charles Jenkins-Nathaniel Lester show with the dynamic scoring duo combing for 67% of Hofstra’s offense in a critical 84-80 win over Fairfield.

Jenkins scored a career-high 38 points including 26 in the second half while Lester tallied 18 to propel Hofstra to come-from-behind second-half win over the Stags. Both veterans hit big second half shots and perhaps no basket was bigger than when Jenkins drained a three-pointer with the shock clock winding down and 1:20 left that gave Hofstra an 82-77 lead. It was one of  five treys he drained in seven attempts.

“Jenkins and Lester] responded,” said Hofstra men’s basketball head coach Tom Pecora in the post-game press conference. “It was nice to see a couple of the veterans step up.”

Hofstra-UConn women's basketball in-game blog

The Hofstra women’s basketball team is moments away from taking to the Gampel Pavilion floor against the number-one ranked and defending national champion University of Connecticut in the first of three games at the WBCA Classic. It is Hofstra’s first meeting with UConn since Dec. 22, 2005 when the Pride fell to the Huskies 86-49. Whatever the result of tonight’s game Hofstra’s name will be in the national spotlight either by pulling off one of the monumental upsets in women’s college basketball history or UConn giving its legendary head coach Geno Auriemma his 700th career victory. The Gampel Pavilion stands are packed with thousands of Husky followers but there is also a decent showing of Hofstra fans thanks to a bus trip organized by the university’s athletic department and plenty of family and friends supporting Pride senior guard and Simsbury, Conn. native Sam Brigham. Hofstra enters tonight’s game 3-0 for the first time in a dozen years after posting wins over Buffalo, St. Francis College (NY) and Albany.

Starting lineups

Hofstra- Candice Bellocchio (guard), Sam Brigham (guard), Marie Malone (guard), Shante Evans (forward)and Jess Fuller (center)

UConn-Tiffany Hayes (guard), Kalana Greene (guard)Caroline Doty (Guard), Maya Moore (forward), Tina Charles (center)

First half

19:38: Hofstra won opening tip-off but turned the ball over on a traveling call

18:54- Doty hits two free throws- 4-0 UConn

18:32- Evans called for traveling. Three Hofstra turnovers already

18:05- Bellochio with an amazing diving lay-up through the tough UConn defense- 5-2 UConn

17:35- Moore missed second free throw but UConn grabs rebound- 6-2 UConn

17:10- Fuller with rebound putback- 6-4 UConn

17:00- Hofstra caused turnover and calls timeout. Hofstra fans in attendance getting into it.

16:39- Charles with jumper- 8-4 UConn.

15:36- Hofstra freshman guard Candace Bond fires air ball in her first shot of the game

15:15- Media timeout- 8-4 UConn. Hofstra zone defense has been effective early on causing four Husky turnovers but the Pride have turned it over five times and have not been able to take advantage of the miscues.

15:05- Capurso drains three- 8-7 UConn

14:23- Evans went up strong but unable to draw a foul and get Hofstra the lead. Moore answers with jumper at the other end. 10-7 UConn

Hofstra women's lacrosse inks standout Philly area player

The Hofstra women’s lacrosse program has inked a letter of intent from a standout player in the Philadelphia region. Calli Foley, the leader scorer the last two seasons for Gwynedd-Mercy Academy in suburban Philadelphia, will be attending Hofstra starting in the fall of 2010 and major in business, according to a story in Wednesday’s Philadelphia Inquirer. Foley’s older sister Bergan stars for the University of Louisville women’s lacrosse program and was second in the Big East in scoring as a sophomore last season with 67 points.

Hofstra-UConn women’s basketball game to be live-blogged

Log onto "Inside the Pride" tonight starting at 7:30 p.m. for a live blog of the Hofstra women’s basketball team’s fourth game of the season at number-one ranked Connecticut. The blog will provide fans the important details of this much anticipated game against the defending national champions as well as the overall atmosphere inside Gampel Pavilion, which should be electric since legendary UConn head coach Geno Auriemma is one win shy of 700. Hofstra should also have its share of fans thanks to a bus trip organized by the university’s athletic department and the game being a homecoming for Pride senior and Simsbury, Conn. native Sam Brigham, who is expected to have many family and friends in attendance. Hofstra enters tonight’s game 3-0 for the first time in a dozen years after posting wins over Buffalo, St. Francis College (NY) and Albany.

Hofstra women's basketball with little time to enjoy first 3-0 start in 12 years

In an appetizer to an upcoming grueling Thanksgiving weekend schedule, the Hofstra women’s basketball team won a rare mid-week matinee with Albany today 62-49 for the program’s first 3-0 start in a dozen years. Hofstra will not have much time to savor today’s victory though as in just two days the Pride will be at Gampel Pavilion taking on defending national champion Connecticut in the first of three games at the WBCA Classic.

Late tomorrow morning while most people are getting set to enjoy their Thanksgiving meals, the Hofstra will be boarding a bus for Storrs, Conn., where the Pride will spend the next three days taking on the number-one ranked Huskies, Clemson and Richmond. Despite posting a relatively easy win over Albany today, head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey said in the post-game press conference that the Pride will have to perform far better this weekend to come out of Gampel Pavilion with any success.

Inability to rebound in key spots dooms Pride in loss to Charlotte

After outrebounding its opponents the last four games including against 12th ranked Connecticut last week, the Hofstra men’s basketball team lost the battle of the boards Tuesday night against Charlotte and it proved a huge factor in a 80-72 home loss to the Atlantic 10 school.

Charlotte (4-1) outrebounded Hofstra (3-3) 46-37 and picked up some key offensive boards in the second half including one off a missed three-pointer with 1:06 left and the Pride trailing 71-68 that led to a RaShad Coleman lay-up to extend the 49er lead to five. In its four games since losing at number-one ranked Kansas to start the season, Hofstra had controlled the glass 173 to 121 but Tuesday the Pride lost the battle for second chance points with Chris Braswell and Coleman leading the 49ers with 11 rebounds and nine boards respectively.

“They rebounded the heck out of the basketball,” said Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora in the post game press conference. "We did not go put bodies on people and we did not go get the basketball.”

The lack of pulling down rebounds offset some positives from the Pride, including 25 points from junior guard Charles Jenkins, a career-high 18 points from power forward Greg Washington and only committing six turnovers. Hofstra led a back-and-forth first half affair 41-39 at halftime and was up 49-48 seven minutes into the second half before the 49ers went on a 13-4 run over the next five minutes to begin to take control of the game. Trailing 71-63 with 3:45 left, the Pride scored five straight and had two possessions with a chance to potentially tie the game, but were unable to convert on both trips.

Hofstra football ends frustrating season on positive note

The Hofstra football team will head into the off season with a positive taste in their mouths after a 52-38 win over Massachusetts today but will also be pondering a season of what ifs and what might have been. The 2009 season was a frustrating one for the Pride (5-6) that featured four losses by eight points or less, but the 599 yards of total offense on display in this afternoon’s year-ending triumph at Shuart Stadium shows plenty of promise for 2010.

“All the potential we have been talking about with the players that we have… it is good to see the whole thing click,” said Hofstra head coach Dave Cohen. “Just a phenomenal day for the offense, a phenomenal win.”

The season-ending win featured spectacular performances from several players who will be returning to Shuart Stadium in 2010 highlighted by junior wide receiver Aaron Weaver’s 15 receptions, which was just one short of the Hofstra record of 15 set in 2004 by Devale Ellis. Hofstra’s offense, which had struggled for much of 2009, went out with a bang scoring 50 points for the first time since a 55-0 romp of Stony Brook in 2005.

Brigham focused on delivering memorable senior season

 Picture courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications
The Hofstra women’s basketball team is off to its first 2-0 start in five years and a big reason for this early-season success has been the leadership and play of senior guard Sam Brigham. The Simsbury, Conn. native, who scored a game-high 19 points in an 88-63 win at St. Francis College (NY) on Wednesday, is focused on making her final season in a Hofstra uniform a memorable one.

After coming off the bench as a freshman on a senior-laden 2006/2007 team, Brigham developed the next two seasons into one of Hofstra’s most reliable offensive and defensive players leading the Pride in scoring as a sophomore and shooting a team-high 36 percent from three-point range last year. Against St. Francis Brigham showed how much of a complete player she is going three of four from the floor, 12-15 from the foul line while also pulling down five rebounds and posting one steal. 

Fourth-year Hofstra women’s basketball head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey has been happy with Brigham’s leadership in the backcourt as well as how she has guided the younger players on and off the floor. “She’s been a kid that has earned her spot every single year,” said Kilburn-Steveskey. “She is just a competitor through and through and that toughness on the floor is contagious.”

Hofstra-UConn men's basketball in-game blog

Hofstra and 12th ranked Connecticut are about to square off in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Gampel Pavilion with the winner moving on to a Thanksgiving Eve semi-final game at Madison Square Garden against the winner of tonight's LSU-Western Kentucky contest. It is only the second time Hofstra and UConn have hooked up in men's basketball with the other being an 80-78 Husky win in the first round of the 1976 NCAA Tournament at the Providence Civic Center. Both Hofstra and UConn posted first round NIT Season Tip-Off wins at Gampel Pavilion last night with the Pride edging Yale 68-63 and the Huskies defeating Colgate 77-63. Stay tuned for constant updates of this key early-season non conference game for the Pride taking place at one of the best college basketball venues in the nation.


Starting lineup for Hofstra

Charles Jenkins, guard; Cornelius Vines, guard; Nathaniel Lester,guard; forward Miklos Szabo; center Greg Washington

Starting lineup for UConn

Stanely Robertson, guard; Gavin Edwards, forward; center Alex Oriakhi, Kendall Walker; guard Jerome Dyson, guard

First half action

19:32- Lester draws foul going to bucket and knocks down both free throws 2-0 Hofstra

17:05- Oriakhi hits one of two free throws- 5-2 UConn

16:20- Lester gets Hofstra's first field goal on driving lay-up, 5-4 UConn

15:35- Vines with three pointer to give Hofstra 7-5 lead

15:20- TV timeout. Not a sellout crowd but UConn student section is packed and loud.

15:06- Jerome Dyson with bucket and draws the foul and completes three point-play- 10-7 UConn

14:05- David Robertson scores to make it 14-7 UConn. Huskies on 9-0 run. Tom Pecora calls timeout

Hofstra-UConn men's basketball game to be live-blogged

Tune into "Inside the Pride" tonight starting at 7 p.m. for a live blog of the Hofstra men's basketball game at 12th ranked Connecticut in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-Off. The blog will provide fans the important details on the court as well as the overall atmopshere in one of the best college basketball venues in the nation, Gampel Pavilion. It will be only Hofstra’s second meeting with UConn with the other being an 80-78 overtime loss in the first round of the 1976 NCAA Tournament at the Providence Civic Center. If Hofstra manages to pull off the upset, the Pride will get a huge boost in the all-important NCAA Ratings Percentage Index and advance to the NIT Season Tipoff Semi-Finals at Madison Square Garden next Wednesday on ESPN against the winner of tonight’s LSU-Western Kentucky game. In the NIT Season Tip-Off first round yesterday Hofstra defeated Yale 68-63 while UConn triumphed over Colgate 77-63.

Geographically diverse recruiting class brings promising future for Hofstra women’s basketball

Hofstra women’s basketball head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey never imagined she would recruit someone from Idaho for her fall 2010 recruiting class, but after witnessing the tenacity displayed by Kate Loper during an AAU tournament in the nation's capital, focus quickly shifted to this "gem" from the Gem State. Loper is one of three Hofstra women’s basketball recruits for the 2010/20011 season that Kilburn-Steveskey announced last week, with the trio hailing from a wide cross section of the country that includes the Mountain West, Deep South and South Jersey.

While the 2009/2010 season has just gotten underway, Kilburn-Steveskey is excited about the intangibles that will come from next year’s freshman class that includes Loper (Post Falls, Id.), Ngwanma (Amma) Onyeuku (Fayetteville, Ga.) and Annie Payton (Camden, N.J.). All three players were recruited by major women’s college basketball programs and will have large shoes to fill next year after seniors Sam Brigham and Jess Fuller graduate from Hofstra.

Kilburn-Steveskey actually stumbled upon Loper by accident while she was scouting another player competing in a Washington D.C. AAU tournament. In the last 2:45 of a hotly contested game while the player Kilburn-Steveskey was looking at subbed herself out, Loper stepped up big for the Spokane Stars Girls AAU Basketball Club with a three pointer, two-point field goal and a pair of clutch free throws. “I was going 'wow, this kid is a competitor,” said Kilburn-Steveskey of Loper, who she sees similarities with Brigham in terms of toughness, vocal leadership, three-point range and a quick shooting release.

Hofstra softball inks standout NJ Player

Hofstra softball head coach Bill Edwards inked a commitment yesterday from New Jersey standout softball player Nicole Hagerty on the first day of the 2009/2010 early signing period. While yesterday made Hagerty's softball future at Hofstra official, she verbally committed to play for the Pride the summer before her junior year, according to a story in today's Newark Star-Ledger. Hagerty, a pitcher at Gloucester Catholic High School, said in the Star-Ledger article she expects to play first base at Hofstra and has been in constant contact with the Pride coaching staff since taking part in a workout program they provided. Hagerty was selected to the Star-Ledger's 2009 All South Jersey Third Team.

Hofstra women’s basketball eager for Monday’s season opener

With nearly a month of practices under their belt and scrimmages against each other, the Hofstra women’s basketball team is more than ready for its 2009/2010 regular season to get underway this Monday evening at home against Buffalo. The Nov. 16 opener launches a highly competitive 30-game schedule and with three of five starters returning, head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey is optimistic that success will come the Pride’s way in 2009/2010.

“After 27 practices you are ready to bang on someone else,” said Coach Kilburn-Steveskey of the excitement of her players to start competing against other teams. “We’re ready to get it rolling.”

Last season Hofstra won at Buffalo 80-73 in overtime with then freshman Joelle Connelly scoring a tying bucket at the buzzer. Coach Kilburn-Steveskey expects another barn burner this season with Buffalo returning its core nucleus including Kourtney Brown, who scored 29 points against Hofstra in the Dec. 6, 2008 match-up.

“It is going to be an up-tempo game and it’s going to be a battle,” said Kilburn-Steveskey. “It’s going to be a good test early for the first game.”

Hofstra wrestling prepares for challenge on mats in 2009/2010

As the Hofstra wrestling team gets set for its opening match this Sunday against Buffalo at 1 p.m., head coach Tom Shifflet is not just focused on the present but the future of this program that has consistently been ranked in the top 20 for the last decade. With an eye toward the long term growth of Hofstra wrestling and knowing this year features a top heavy group of 133 pound grapplers, Coach Shifflet decided to red-shirt three-time NCAA qualifier Lou Ruggirello in order to enhance his chance of capturing a national title in 2011.

While red-shirting Ruggirello will make for a more challenging 2009/2010 season, giving the Valley Stream Central High School graduate another year to hone his skills in freestyle matches in preparation for a national title run next year will be a positive for the program long-term, according to Shifflet. “We don’t just red-shirt anybody, you want to red-shirt the guys who have the attitude, have the work ethic, guys who are going to take that year and really make a conscious effort to develop themselves,” said Shifflet of Ruggirello, who was 15-1 in dual meets as a junior last season. “We wanted to give to give him the best opportunity to win a national title for himself, for the program, because he’s been a great student-athlete and deserves it.”

The decision to red-shirt Ruggirello has created healthy competition to fill the 133 pound slot between junior Jeff Rotella and freshman Jamie Franco, a 2008 New York State champion from Monroe-Woodbury High School. Many other weight classes are also undetermined and avoiding the injury bug will be paramount for a team already low on depth. Coach Shifflet got a scare in pre-season workouts when 10th ranked 174-pound wrestler Ryan Patrovich sprained a knee ligament forcing him to miss two weeks of practice but the junior who knocked off number one ranked 165-pound wrestler Mack Lewnes of Cornell in last year’s NCAAs, will be ready for the opener. Another potential injury problem is with pre-season 15th ranked Steve Bonanno at 125 pounds, as the sophomore from nearby Wantagh banged up his knee and will be a match-time decision Sunday.

Hofstra men’s basketball could be shorthanded at #1 Kansas

The Hofstra men’s basketball team’s much-hyped season opening game at top-ranked Kansas this Friday appears like it will become even more of a mountain to climb with the possibility of not having the services of highly-touted newcomers Brad Kelleher and David Imes.

Kelleher may not be available for this Friday’s game at Phog Allen Fieldhouse due to some NCAA clearinghouses issues while Imes is nursing an ankle injury he suffered in a scrimmage against Columbia this past Saturday. After today’s practice Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora said he is still awaiting a ruling from the NCAA over if Kelleher, a versatile 6'0 guard, will have to miss any action to start the season because of games he played in his native Australia prior to arriving at Hofstra. While he is still holding out some hope the NCAA will clear Kelleher, he is realistic that the transfer from Midland College in Texas will likely have to miss at least one or two games.

“I know the way the NCAA works and they are usually overly officious when it comes to issues like this,” said Pecora of his realism that Kelleher likely will not get cleared to play at Kansas.

The decision on whether the 6’7 230 pound Imes’s availability for Kansas will be a game-time decision depending on how fast his injury heels. Imes, a freshman forward from Brooklyn who prepped last year at Winchendon School in Massachusetts, had a boot on his injured ankle at today’s practice.

Former Hofstra DB promoted to Patriots active roster

In another sign of Hofstra football alums excelling at the professional level, former Pride defensive back Kyle Arrington was promoted to the New England Patriots active roster from its practice squad early this morning. Arrington, who played at Hofstra from 2004-2007, was placed on the Patriots 53-man active roster after offensive guard Kendall Simmons was cut.

Adding the Hofstra product gives the Patriots more defensive backfield depth and another special teams player, the Boston Herald pointed out in a story this morning on the transaction. The 5'9 196 pound Arrington was previously on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad before being cut on Sept. 14. He made his National Football League (NFL) debut on special teams in Tampa Bay's 2009 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

Arrington is now the fourth former Hofstra football player to be on an NFL roster joining New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Willie Colon and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Stephen Bowen.

Hofstra linebacker embracing the end of his college football career

Picture courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

As Hofstra football heads into the home stretch of its 2009 season, fifth year senior linebacker and captain Luke Bonus is trying to embrace every moment of it. Whether it is practices, film sessions, weigh training or Hofstra’s final three games, Bonus wants to end his illustrious college career leaving nothing on the field.

“I know that I haven’t been to the playoffs yet and that is everyone’s ultimate goal but memories, the experiences I have here mean everything to me,” said Bonus, who leads Hofstra in tackles this season with 58. “There is not anything I wouldn’t do for one of these guys on this team and that includes the coaching staff too….They are my family.”

Bonus’s appreciation for Pride football can be rooted back to when he first entered Hofstra’s campus in 2005 as a walk-on and through hard work and determination earned his way to a scholarship. Since first taking the field as a red-shirt freshman in 2006 Bonus has thrived as an undersized 5’10 222 pound linebacker and was an All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) first team selection last year after recording 96 total tackles. After his Hofstra career is over the Medford Lakes, N.J. native would love to stay involved with football either playing professionally or in coaching.

NCAA College cup berth on line for Hofstra women's soccer this weekend

Parsons Field in Brookline, Mass. was a house of horrors for the Hofstra women’s soccer team during this past Saturday’s 4-0 Halloween matinee defeat to Northeastern, but if the Pride want to reach the NCAA College Cup then two wins on this same turf will be needed this weekend.

Northeastern’s Halloween shutout of Hofstra (10-5-3, 7-2-2) clinched the number one seed for the Huskies and the right to host the Colonial Athletic Association playoffs this weekend. If the Pride had won or tied then the Hofstra University Soccer Stadium would have been the site of this weekend’s CAA playoffs, but instead head coach Simon Riddiough’s team will have to settle for being the second-seed and traveling four hours back to the Boston area. “We had everything in our control and we just let it get away from ourselves,” said Coach Riddiough. “It was just one of those days.”

Despite coming off a four-goal loss in its regular season finale, Coach Riddiough feels positive about his team heading into this weekend since Hofstra out-shot Northeastern 22-8 and was the victim of some unlucky breaks against a stiff first half wind. Hofstra returns to Northeastern’s Parsons Field this Friday afternoon to battle UNC-Wilmington in the CAA semi-finals at 3 p.m. with a victory catapulting the Pride into the CAA Championship Sunday with a chance to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA College Cup, an accomplishment the program achieved in 2005 and 2007.

Hofstra field hockey caps dramatic weekend with CAA playoff berth

It was a dramatic weekend for the Hofstra field hockey team that included a loss, a win, a trip the emergency room and nervously viewing a key conference game online that potentially could have ended its season. When the dust settled however head coach Kathy De Angelis found her program back in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships for the sixth straight year, putting a young team comprised of 11 freshmen and six sophomores just two wins from an NCAA tournament berth. 

Hofstra (12-7, 5-3 in the CAA) officially punched its ticket as the fourth and final seed for a CAA Championships after James Madison defeated Northeastern in double overtime on Sunday afternoon. A victory by the Huskies had the potential to put Hofstra in a logjam for fourth place with Old Dominion, Northeastern and James Madison, and could very well had put a cap on the Pride’s season depending on what tie-breaker formula the CAA used. Instead Coach De Angelis and her players that viewed the dramatic game on Northeastern’s website were joyous in front of their computer screens knowing they lived to play another day.

The Pride learning its playoff fate on a computer was far from the only tense moment during Halloween weekend. After losing at 17th ranked Delaware 4-1on Friday night, De Angelis found herself traveling to an emergency room to visit key players Amy-Lee Levey and Gena Kovar, who had both got hit in the hands by sticks on two separate incidents during the game. The duo was cleared to play in Saturday’s critical game at Towson but had to wear lacrosse gloves in order to protect their hands, but both contributed heavily to the 3-2 come-from-behind win with Levey scoring two goals and Kovar registering two assists.

Hofstra volleyball postseason streak in jeopardy after Halloween loss to Northeastern

The last time Hofstra volleyball was not taking part in its conference championships George H.W Bush was in the White House and the Internet was still in its infancy stages but after today’s Halloween matinee loss to Northeastern, the Pride’s 16-year postseason streak is in serious jeopardy. The Huskies made the clutch plays when they mattered most in a four-set win at the Physical Fitness Center that puts Hofstra three games behind George Mason for the fourth and final CAA playoff spot with only four matches remaining.

Northeastern, which knocked off Hofstra twice last season including a season-ender in the CAA semifinals, continued to be a thorn in the Pride’s side winning today’s critical conference match 3-1 by scores of 25-22, 19-25, 25-20 and 25-22. The loss ends Hofstra’s two-match winning streak and gives Northeastern a one-game edge for fifth place in the CAA standings. Hofstra had defeated Northeastern earlier this season in Boston 3-1.

“We got off to some really slow starts and we let too many strings of points go,” said Hofstra head women’s volleyball coach Kristina Hernandez moments after today’s loss dropped the Pride to 10-18 and 4-6 in the CAA. “It comes down to passing and serving and we didn’t do any of those extremely well today.”

In the fourth set with Hofstra up 19-17 the match appeared like it may be bound for a fifth and deciding set. However Northeastern proceeded to score six straight points including five served up by Christine Kubik in route to the 25-22 fourth set win that clinched a joyous bus ride back to Beantown for the Huskies.

Hofstra has qualified for the CAA playoffs eight straight years since joining the conference in 2001 but will now likely need to win its final four matches and have some teams in front of them lose in order to keep that streak alive. Hofstra has made the conference playoffs for the past 16 years dating back to its days in the America East and East Coast Conference with the last year of no postseason play coming in 1992.

Hofstra women's basketball pre-season practice update

With two and a half weeks until the Hofstra women’s basketball team jump starts its 2009/2010 season at home against Buffalo, head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey has a good problem on her hands trying to determine the best starting lineup to use since so many players have been stepping up to the challenge in pre-season practices.

“Can I start more than five,” joked Coach Kilburn-Steveskey after this morning’s two-hour practice of how it will be tough to decide who begins each game and who comes off the bench.

The main reason behind the uncertainty of who will comprise Hofstra’s starting lineup when the season tips off against Buffalo on Nov. 16 is the stellar play of freshman forward Shante Evans, who was ranked 54th best player in the class of 2009 and the ninth-best forward by ESPN/HoopGurlz. While Evans is used to playing the power forward position, Coach Kilburn-Steveskey is contemplating slotting the 6-0 West Chester, Pa. native in as a small forward to bolster the inside game for senior center Jess Fuller and 6’3 sophomore Joelle Connelly. Whether it is starting or coming off the bench as the sixth man, Evans will be a major focal point of the Pride offense. 

A freshman stepping up large on the defensive end has been guard Candace Bond. Kilburn-Steveskey noted that the 5’10 Bond has been playing hard-nosed defense in practice against veteran senior guard Sam Brigham, which will serve as positive preparation for both players in 2009/2010. “Candace Bond is going to probably be one of the best defenders that ever came through here,” said Kilburn-Steveskey “She is not backing down.”

Evans and Bond were apart of a recruiting class that ranked 41st in the nation by ESPN/HoopGurlz. However the third member of that heralded recruiting class Lindsey Watson, an Orlando, Fla. native, has left the team for personal reasons.

Hofstra men's basketball pre-season practice update

A dozen days since Hofstra men’s basketball’s first official practice and two weeks before the Pride get set to open the season at national powerhouse Kansas, head coach Tom Pecora is satisfied with the progress of his many younger players, who will help provide a deep bench in 2009/2010.

After today’s hour and a half practice concluded Coach Pecora told “Inside the Pride” that he anticipates playing a nine possibly 10-deep lineup that will have the ability to run the floor more than previous teams. The prospects of being a heavy transition team are made possible by having a deeper bench and the early progress of new guards Chaz Williams and Brad Kelleher, which will allow junior Charles Jenkins to play off the ball for longer stretches. “We’re going to play at a little bit of a quicker pace,” said Pecora.

Jenkins, who averaged 19.7 points per game as a sophomore, has shown a serious focus in the early practices and is a perfect example for younger players to follow on and off the court, according to Pecora.  “He is on the right page and he is definitely focused and he is doing a great job being a good leader,” said Pecora of Jenkins, who earned Colonial Athletic Association pre-season player of the year honors after winning last year's Haggerty Award given to the best player in the New York City metropolitan region.

Hofstra lacrosse teams keep Nick Colleluori's spirit alive through 2 fall events

Picture courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

The Hofstra women's lacrosse team with the Colleluori family 

at the first-ever Nick Colleluori Women's Lacrosse Classic

The Hofstra men’s and women’s lacrosse teams recently took part in two separate Nick Colleluori Classics that combined raised over $200,000 aimed at helping find a cure for blood cancer.

The first-ever Nick Colleluori Women's Lacrosse Classic held on Sept. 26 at Shuart Stadium raised $32,000  while the men’s event that took place at Ridley High School in suburban Philadelphia on Oct. 10 and 11 is estimated by the HEADstrong Foundation to surpass over $180,000. Both of these charity events are aimed at raising money for blood cancer research and to keep alive the memory of former Hofstra men’s lacrosse defenseman Nick Colleluori, who passed away from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on Nov. 28, 2006 at the age of 21. The inspirational story of Colleluori’s courageous 14-month cancer battle as well as the efforts by family, friends and the lacrosse community to fight this deadly disease and honor his legacy through the HEADstrong Foundation were featured in an article written by ESPN.com's Patrick Carney yesterday.

Hofstra women's lacrosse head coach Abby Morgan was honored to be able to help organize the first Nick Colleluori Women's Lacrosse Classic, which featured 12 teams who each sold 150 HEADstrong t-shirts that together helped raise $27,000. "It was great exposure for the [HEADstrong Foundation] on the women's side," said Coach Morgan of the first Nick Colleluori Women's Lacrosse Classic, which she hopes to see expanded to 16 teams next year.

Since the inaugural Nick Colleluori Men's Lacrosse Classic was held in 2007 at Nick's amla mater Ridley High School, the annual event has raised $405,000 for the HEADstrong Foundation. "I am thrilled to see where the HEADstrong Foundation has grown today," said Hofstra men's lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney. "This is about keeping Nick's memory and spirit alive."

Knight trying to lead Pride volleyball into the CAAs

 Picture courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

When Monica Knight began her Hofstra volleyball career in 2006 the South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Native was apart of a senior-laden team that was the first in program history to advance past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Flash forward three years later and Knight is the senior leader on a young team hoping to advance to the Colonial Athletic Association tournament in order to give her another shot at experiencing an NCAA playoff atmosphere.

Knight has transformed from a role player on previous teams to the anchor of this year’s Pride squad that after a key road five-set win at William & Mary Saturday, is very much alive to qualify for the four-team CAA tournament next month.  The senior outside hitter had a career best 29 kills in a five-set Friday night loss Virginia Commonwealth and followed that up with a personal-best 24 digs in the triumph at William & Mary. After some initial tough adjustments to her new role as a leader, Knight is now relishing it.

“It’s been really hard but it is has also been a great learning experience,” said Knight, who leads Hofstra in kills with 362. “I have got a lot in me that I didn’t know I had.”

Hofstra women’s soccer 0-0 tie with JMU delays clinching top CAA seed

The Hofstra women’s soccer team came into its Sunday afternoon game against James Madison with a few scenarios that could clinch the regular season Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title but the most simple was just defeat the Dukes. However despite out-shooting JMU 20-7 the Pride had to settle for a 0-0 tie that keeps second place Northeastern alive for the top CAA top-seed and the right to host the conference tournament in two weeks.

The Pride (10-4-2, 7-1-2 in the CAA) closes the regular season at Northeastern on Halloween and will need a win or tie over the Huskies to assure that today’s Senior Day game will not be the last at Hofstra University Soccer Stadium in 2009.

“I thought we played well and I thought we played well enough to win against a very, very good James Madison team, who got to the Sweet 16 last year,” said Hofstra women’s soccer head coach Simon Riddiough moments after the game.

Today marked the second straight Sunday that Hofstra played to a 0-0 tie and in last week’s scoreless deadlock at Georgia State the Pride out-shot the Panthers 41-14.

If it were not for the play of goalie Krysten Farriella Hofstra may have been looking at a loss rather than a tie. The junior keeper literally saved the day for the Pride in the second overtime by stonewalling a point-blank header from Ashley Flateland off a free kick from Teresa Rynier. The Pride had its best chance to win the game in the second overtime when junior forward Salma Tarik put a header just wide of the net off a cross from sophomore Laura Greene.

Hofstra football’s playoff drought likely to continue after loss to UNH

Storm clouds hovered over Shuart Stadium for this afternoon’s Hofstra football game against New Hampshire and when the Pride left the field there was likely no more glimpse of sun for the program ending a seven year playoff drought. Costly mistakes including two first-half turnovers and a high snap on a punt that led to a safety all spelled doom for the Pride in an 18-10 loss to ninth-ranked New Hampshire. .

The loss before a rain-soaked crowd of 3,386 all but ends any hope Hofstra (4-4, 2-3) had at reaching the football championship subdivision (FCS) post season, as it is very rare for a four-loss team to receive an at-large bid to the 16-team tournament. After starting off the new millennium strong with playoff appearances in 2000 and 2001, the remainder of the decade for Hofstra football has lacked a post-season presence and today’s loss to the Wildcats (6-1, 3-1) all but assures that 2009 will be no different.

“For our leadership, our seniors that is a tough locker room right now,” said Hofstra head football coach Dave Cohen after the game of the team’s playoff chances likely being over as a result of this afternoon’s loss. “They understood that their backs were against the wall if they planned on playing past the regular season.”

Hofstra appeared like it may remain in the FCS playoff discussion late in the third quarter after a three-yard touchdown run by Cory Christopher cut the UNH lead to 10-7. The Wildcats however seized back momentum early in the fourth quarter when kicker Tom Manning broke a UNH record with a 54-yard field goal aided by the wind at his back to make it 13-7.

Hofstra seniors cap home field hockey career with key CAA win over Northeastern

When Hofstra field hockey seniors Kristin Thompson and Ashleigh Daniels first arrived in Hempstead for the 2006 season, the Pride were in their final year calling Shuart Stadium home. The duo has since gone on to be key focal points of ushering in the program’s new era at the three-year old Hofstra University Field Hockey Stadium and capped their final home game in grand style this afternoon with 4-2 win over Northeastern.

Thompson and Daniels both contributed a goal apiece in Hofstra’s huge Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) win on Senior Day that puts the Pride (11-6, 4-2) in prime position to reach the four-team conference playoffs next month. “They are invaluable to our program,” said Hofstra head field hockey coach Kathy De Angelis of her two seniors. “We still have got a great part of the season left so we’re excited about the win and having them with us for a few more weeks hopefully on to the [CAA] championship.”

With today’s win over Northeastern (9-7, 3-2), Hofstra has supremacy over the Huskies by a half game with a tiebreaker advantage for that fourth and final CAA playoff spot with two road games remaining at Delaware and Towson. “This win was crucial,” said Daniels of the playoff implications that stemmed from today’s game.

Ironically both senior’s goals in their final home game bookended each other. Thompson, whose parents attended her senior day festivities all the way from Trinidad, scored the game’s first goal 9:43 into the game off an assist from Nancy Wagenbrenner. Daniels tallied the game’s final goal off a transition feed from Genna Kovar 10:27 into the second half with the Pride clinging to a 3-2 lead and Northeastern mounting heavy offensive pressure.

A Q & A with Hofstra Athletic Director Jack Hayes

Jack Hayes enters his sixth year as Hofstra University’s director of athletics extremely optimistic that the Pride sports teams he oversees are on their way to successful 2009/2010 seasons thanks to the return of several Colonial Athletic Association award winners. Hayes sat down with “Inside the Pride” to discuss how the Hofstra athletics program is faring during these challenging economic times, recent facility improvements that have been undertaken and his vision to bring NCAA men’s and women’s lacrosse championship events to Shuart Stadium on a regular basis.

Inside the Pride: What has been your most proud accomplishment since being named Hofstra athletic director five years ago?
Jack Hayes: The men and women that have come to Hofstra for athletics continue to be happy about their experience here. This is a result of coaches that we have, facilities that we have built or enhanced, schedules that we have put together for our programs and academic support that we have been able to provide. I think it is a combination of a lot of different things but it is my most proud accomplishment that the students who graduate are happy with their experience at Hofstra.

Inside the Pride: How has the downturn in the U.S economy affected Hofstra athletics and what steps have been done to try and combat these challenging conditions?
Jack Hayes: It has affected all athletics programs at all schools. Our fundraising numbers the last few years have increased and our development staff and our coaches, who are all so involved in the fundraising effort, have done an outstanding job. But we have had to look at how we operate on a day-to-day basis, what teams we play, where we travel and I don’t think that is any different than what any other school has gone through.

Inside the Pride: What role do facilities rentals to outside groups play in creating revenue for the athletics program?
Jack Hayes: Our facilities rentals are an important part of how we generate revenue for athletics. That really has not changed as we continue to do that, but there are certain times of the year where it is very difficult to do it. You don’t want to do it in a way that impacts our current student-athletes and our coaches so a lot of that is done over the summer, over vacation periods, but we do it whenever we can.

Inside the Pride: Talk about some of the facilities enhancements that have been made recently?

Pro football coming to Hofstra on Nov. 4

The upstart United Football League's Nov. 4 scheduled nationally televised game between the New York Sentinels and  Las Vegas Locomotives is being moved from Citi Field to Hofstra's Shuart Stadium, the league announced today, according to an article in this morning's Examiner.com. The decision to move the game from the 41,800 seat Citi Field in Flushing, Queens to 13,000 seat Shuart Stadium was explained by UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue, who stated in the Examiner article: 

"While Citi Field is a phenomenal facility and we look forward to playing a game there in the future, we feel Hofstra is a better fit for us right now as a football facility. Hofstra University has been receptive to handling logistics with us, including allowing our teams to practice there during game week."

This is great news for Hofstra as the 7 p.m. Wednesday night game will be shown nationally on Versus, giving people across the country a chance to see what an excellent facility Shuart Stadium is and generate positive publicity for the university. "It is always great when we can bring events to Hofstra that will be seen by a national audience," said Hofstra athletic director Jack Hayes in response to the New York Sentinel's decision to play its Nov. 4 nationally televised game at Hofstra.

The Nov. 4 prtimetime UFL game at Hofstra will also be a Big Apple area homecoming for Las Vegas head coach Jim Fassell, who coached the New York Giants from 1997-2003. The Sentinels are coached by former New York Jets defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell.

Win over GMU boots Hofstra men's soccer into first place

There was plenty on the line for the Hofstra men’s soccer team in its Wednesday night home affair with George Mason (GMU) as the winner of this crucial Colonial Athletic Association match would have the inside track toward reaching the conference playoffs next month. Thanks to the continued offensive firepower from senior midfielder Rob Youhill the Pride were able to get out to the early lead and never look back in 2-0 to triumph that keeps Hofstra very much in the running for the CAA regular season title.

Hofstra’s win combined with UNC-Wilmington’s 1-1 tie Wednesday with William & Mary puts the Pride in first place one point ahead of Northeastern with four games remaining. GMU won the CAA title last year and earlier this season defeated defending national champion Maryland 2-0.

“What we said before the game is if we lose this game we are back with the pack, if we can win the game we are ahead of the pack,” said Hofstra men’s soccer head coach Richard Nuttall on the importance of the GMU win.

The home victory in front of 440 fans served as some redemption for Hofstra, who suffered a 5-0 defeat at GMU in the first round of the CAA tournament last year. More importantly the victory gives Hofstra (7-5-1, 5-1-1) a two game cushion over the Patriots (8-5-1, 3-2-1) in the battle to receive one of four available CAA playoff spots. If Hofstra were to finish in first place, it would get to host the CAA playoffs scheduled for Nov. 13-15.

Well-traveled Egypt native finds home with Hofstra women’s soccer

Picture courtesy Hofstra Athletic Communications

Hofstra women’s soccer junior forward Salma Tarik has moved around plenty in her life from Egypt to East Meadow, out west to California and back east to Bellmore. Hofstra head coach Simon Riddiough is sure happy she has decided to make Hofstra the home for her women’s soccer career as the transfer from Cal State Northbridge has been the Pride’s leading scorer since returning to Long Island.

Entering 2009 Coach Riddiough knew he had a solid defensive foundation but was concerned if there would be enough offense. The Cairo, Egypt native has certainly helped provide that with nine goals and four assists, which has has helped pace Hofstra (9-4-2, 6-1-1) into first place during the Colonial Athletic Association’s home stretch of the season with three games remaining.

After not starting right away her first season at Hofstra, Tarik took it upon herself to work extra hard in the summer playing with the Los Angeles Legends of the W-League. “If I didn’t play in that league or train on my own this year would be a lot different,” said Tarik, who ended up leading the Pride in scoring with six goals last year despite being on the bench to start the season.

When Tarik arrived at Hofstra last year she re-united with childhood friend and Pride forward Courtney Breen, who she competed against in youth soccer for the East Meadow Dynamite. The two former East Meadow youth players teamed up to both tally goals in Hofstra’s 2-1 win at Princeton on Sept. 4.

Hofstra men's lacrosse to open New Meadowlands Stadium

The Hofstra men’s lacrosse team will have a chance to become a part of Big Apple sports history on April 10 when the Pride face Delaware in the first event at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J..

The schedule for the Konica Minolta Big City Classic tripleheader was officially announced today and Colonial Athletic Association rivals Hofstra and Delaware will have the honor of playing the first game at the brand new home of the National Football League’s New York Giants and Jets. The Hofstra-Delaware game will start at 1 p.m. followed by Virginia-North Carolina at 4:00 p.m. and Syracuse-Princeton at 6:30 p.m. This is change from the inaugural Big City Classic tripleheader on April 4, 2009 at Giants Stadium where the Hofstra-Delaware game was the last one on the docket and the vast majority of the 22,038 fans had exited to escape windy frigid conditions.

Hopefully the combination of the Hofstra-Delaware game kicking off the 2010 Big City Classic tripleheader combined with people’s intrigue of seeing the brand new home of the Giants and Jets will allow the Pride to be exposed to a big-time college lacrosse atmosphere.

In the Crease for Hofstra men's lacrosse vs. Team England

I attended tonight’s men’s lacrosse exhibition game between Hofstra and Team England at Shuart Stadium with the Pride winning 19-4. No official stats were taken but below are some key notes I observed from the game, which was played in four 20 minute quarters with running time.

• The Pride had 11 different goal scorers with junior attackman Jay Card leading the way with five.
• University of Denver transfer Jamie Lincoln, who scored 48 goals as in 2008 for the Pioneers, did not dress for the England game. He also missed last weekend's Nick Colleluori Classic to try out for the Canadian national team so head coach Seth Tierney will have to wait until the Pride's first pre-season scrimmage on Feb. 6 at Syracuse to see the Canadian attackman in game action.  
• Sophomore goalie Andrew Gvozden and freshman Robert Bellairs split time in the cage with both making some solid saves. Freshman Kyle Dillon, a North Las Vegas native, played the final eight minutes and recorded one save.  
• Senior Michael Vaccarro took the majority of the faceoffs and won many cleanly, which helped create some quick transition goals. The former walk-on out of Plano, Texas should be the number one-faceoff specialist in 2010 after Joe Montemurro transferred to Muhlenberg College to play football.  
• Hofstra was on offense for about 70% of the game with Team England only having 12 offensive possessions inside the Pride restraining box.  
• Hofstra released its 2010 schedule with the season opening up on Feb. 27 at Princeton  followed by three straight home games on March 6 against Brown., March 13 versus Johns Hopkins and a March 20 battle with former Colonial Athletic Association foe Sacred Heart. Some other schedule highlights include a short-road trip to St. John's on March 23, home games against traditional lacrosse powers Army on March 30 and Towson on May 1 and facing Delaware in the Inside Lacrosse-Konica-Minolta Big City Classic triple-header at the new Meadowlands Stadium on April 10 at 1 p.m.

Hofstra men’s basketball in-practice blog

The Hofstra men's basketball team is set to officially launch the 2009/2010 season with the first of many practices they hopes will last well into March. Head coach Tom Pecora will be no doubt working his players hard both physically and mentally in preparation for a rigorous non-conference slate of games that starts in just 28 days at potential pre-season number-one ranked Kansas. Hofstra returns only five scholarship players from last season’s 21-11 team, but with one of those returnees being All-American candidate Charles Jenkins combined with seven talented newcomers such as second-team All New York City selection Chaz Williams, Pride fans have many reasons to be excited. Stay tuned to "Inside the Pride" and refresh your browser for constant updates of this debut Hofstra men’s basketball practice of the 2009/2010 season.

Hofstra women's basketball in-practice blog

The Hofstra women's basketball is getting set to take to the Mack Sports Complex floor for its first official practice of the 2009/2010 season. With seven of its top nine scorers returning combined with a heralded recruiting class ranked 41st-best by ESPN/HoopGurlz, there is reason for Hofstra fans to be optimistic as the Pride begin this new campaign. With Hofstra facing a rigorous non-conference schedule that includes defending national champion Connecticut and ACC power Clemson, head coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey should be working her players extra hard starting this evening. Stay tuned to "Inside the Pride" and refresh your browser for constant updates of this debut Hofstra women's basketball practice of the 2009/2010 season.

Hofstra women’s lacrosse uses fall season to bolster team chemistry

The Hofstra women’s lacrosse team has been hard at work both on and off the field during the fall season, as in addition to intense practices and 18 games head coach Abby Morgan has had her players heavily concentrate on developing solid team chemistry heading into 2010.

With nine freshmen on Coach Morgan’s roster, team building activities such as matching up each freshman with an older “sister” and having each player create a shoe box to include writings on their life and lacrosse goals, have been heavily emphasized during fall ball. “Getting the players to learn more about each other is something that we have really tried to stress,” said Morgan. “For the fall it’s really about getting everyone comfortable with each other.”

Hofstra’s 2010 team will feature six seniors who reached the NCAA Tournament as freshmen in 2007 and just missed out on the Colonial Athletic Association playoffs the last two seasons. The Pride have had to hold most of their fall practices without three of these key seniors including Corrine Gandolfi, Bryana Borrelli and Jenn Olson, who along with junior Bettina Mianulli are student-teaching this semester. As a sign of the team’s determination to succeed, the foursome have been waking up at 5 a.m. for lifting before heading out to teach and many teammates have joined them for their extra-early-morning weight training.

Coach Morgan has tried to organize practice schedules around the student-teaching conflicts but she added that the missed time of these vocal leaders has led to some positives for the other players. “It has kind of opened the door to our quieter players to step up and be leaders,” she said.

Hofstra loses defensive leaders Alysse Ruszkowski and Lauren Whitcomb but returns several offensive weapons including Gandolfi, who led the Pride in scoring with 45 goals and 25 assists, Liz Falco (29 goals) Stephanie Rice (23 goals) and Ashley Jones (19 goals). The fall season has featured diverse offensive production including 15 different scorers in Hofstra’s four games during the Nick Colleluori Women's Lacrosse Classic on Sept. 26. “Our issue won’t be the weapons that we have but how do we have utilize them as a team,” said Morgan.

First Hofstra basketball practices to be live blogged

Tune into "Inside the Pride" tomorrow starting at 5 p.m. for a live blog of the first women's and men's basketball practices of the 2009/2010 season. The women's basketball practice is scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to around 7 p.m. with Tom Pecora's team scheduled to enter the Mack Sports Complex floor at around 7:30 p..m. The blog will give fans inside access to the details and atmosphere of the teams' opening practices as they prepare for tough non-conference schedules starting in a month.

Hofstra men’s lacrosse to end fall season vs. Team England

The Hofstra men’s lacrosse team’s fall season is winding down but before the equipment is put away until the winter, the Pride will get one last chance to prepare for 2010 with an exhibition game against the England national team this Saturday night at Shuart Stadium.

Team England will be visiting Hofstra as part of its U.S tour against six Division I schools in preparation for next year’s World Lacrosse Championships. “It is going to be a great opportunity and we’re excited that [Team England] selected us as one of the teams they will play,” said Hofstra men's lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney.

The game against England will give Tierney a chance to see game-action from two of his key offensive players in attackmen Jay Card and Jamie Lincoln, who both missed last weekend’s Nick Colleluori Classic to try out for the Canadian national team. Card enters his junior season after earning honorable mention All-American accolades while Lincoln arrives at Hofstra as a transfer from the University of Denver, where he scored 48 goals as a freshman in 2008.

The fall season has given Tierney a chance to view 21 new players including 16 freshmen.  Among the key losses from last season’s 11-4 team that earned an at-large NCAA tourney birth are the entire starting midfield unit of Michael Colleluori, Anthony Muscarella and Ryan Carter. “Half of our team is new so we had to go back to work and start from the beginning a little but they have responded well,” said Tierney.

Hofstra’s Martinez aims for large soccer stage

When Hofstra men's soccer senior defender Richard Martinez got called up to compete for the Puerto Rico national team last year, he initially thought it would be a team comprised of the best players age 23 and under from his native country. However much to the surprise of Martinez, 10 minutes before his first practice he discovered this would be the actual  Puerto Rican national team and that World Cup qualifiers against much older players would soon be in his future.

Martinez made the most of this surprise opportunity on the global stage playing every minute of five World Cup qualifier games. The experience going up against the world’s best players has paid major dividends for the Hofstra defender both for his senior year and his hopes of playing the sport he loves professionally upon graduation.

“Mentally it gives me a lot of confidence,” said Martinez of how playing against the world’s best soccer players has set him up well for competing against teams in Hofstra’s highly competitive conference, the Colonial Athletic Association. “My whole mentality from that point on has changed.”

Even before becoming one of a select few players to compete in World Cup qualifiers, Martinez made a huge impact at Hofstra his freshman season scoring the winning penalty kick in a shootout victory over George Mason in the 2006 CAA title game. This was Hofstra’s last appearance in the NCAA College Cup and Martinez hopes his collegiate career can be capped once again with some late November soccer. After a 6-0 shutout win at Delaware this past Saturday the Pride are 5-5 and 3-1 in the CAA heading into tomorrow’s conference battle at Drexel. .

“We would definitely like to extend our season as long as possible,” said Martinez, who earned All-CAA first team accolades last season.

Hofstra field hockey with “win of a lifetime” over 16th-ranked ODU

It was by far the most enjoyable eight-hour bus ride that Hofstra field hockey head coach Kathy De Angelis had ever been on yesterday following her team’s stunning come-from-behind 6-5 upset of 16th- ranked Old Dominion (ODU). The dramatic comeback from a 5-1 deficit capped a successful Virginia weekend sweep and has positioned Hofstra (8-6, 3-2) with a legitimate shot at making the competitive four-team Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) playoffs next month.

One day after returning to Long Island from a long but rewarding bus ride, Coach De Angelis described the victory over ODU as her greatest since becoming Hofstra head coach in 1998. The Pride had previously been 0-7 against the storied ODU field hockey program, which has nine national championships in its trophy case, and rallying from a four goal-deficit early in the second half made the historic victory that much more rewarding.

“We could have gone on that bus for 24 hours and talked about that game,” joked De Angelis. “This is the win of a lifetime.”

It was a dramatic weekend all around for Hofstra field hockey, who on Friday night defeated William & Mary 3-2 in overtime on a goal from senior Ashleigh Daniels off an assist from junior Amy-Lee-Levey. Levey also tallied the Pride’s tying goal against ODU with 6:33 left and just over a minute later freshman Micaela Gallagher (Pictured) picked an opportune time for her first career collegiate goal off a penalty corner with 5:06 left to cap the comeback. Sophomore Genna Kovar registered two goals during the five-goal barrage with Nancy Wagenbrenner adding the other tally.

Quick Slants from Hofstra's 16-14 loss to Maine

• Hofstra's running game accounted for 293 of the Pride's 531 offensive yards led by freshman Miguel Maysonet with 95-yards on seven carries, including a 30-yard gain to open the second half. "He's as physical a runner as we have and he has great change of direction," said Hofstra head coach Dave Cohen in the post game press conference of the Riverhead High School product and 2008 New York State Gatorade Player of the Year winner.

• Sophomore wide receiver Chaz Cervino, a transfer from Syracuse, hauled in two big fourth quarter catches before going down with a wrist injury late in the game. Coach Cohen described Cervino's injury as serious and is awaiting X-Rays on his wrist to determine the severity of it.

• Today's loss was the first time Hofstra was not victorious in its annual homecoming game since losing to Villanova 20-16 in Cohen's first season as Pride head coach.

• Hofstra defensive coordinator Rich Nagy faced Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove for the first time since he was a part of his coaching staff leading the Black Bears defense from 2001-2005. "He's a great friend, a great person and you're very fortunate to have him here," said Coach Cosgrove of Nagy in the postgame press conference. "I miss him up in Maine."

Turnovers plague Hofstra in homecoming defeat

When a football team amasses 531 yards of offense and 21 more first downs than its opponent such as Hofstra did against Maine today, that would typically equate to a victory. However on the flip side when a team turns the ball over seven times and loses the turnover battle by four, more often than not it will leave the field with a loss and that was exactly what happened to the Pride in their annual homecoming game today.

A combination of five interceptions and two fumbles that led to 10 Maine points spoiled Hofstra’s offensive explosion in a 16-14 Colonial Athletic Association loss to the Black Bears just a week after upsetting seventh-ranked James Madison. The loss leaves Hofstra (3-3, 1-2) in a position where it may need to run the table in its final five games in order to have a shot at its first playoff appearance since 2001.

“There is no excuse for that amount of turnovers,” said a frustrated head coach Dave Cohen in the postgame press conference. “

The Hofstra defense forced two Maine fumbles and an interception but still lost the always key turnover battle seven to three. The Pride were also hurt by a 22-yard missed field goal from Henry Greco early in the fourth quarter off an errant snap when Maine was clinging to a 13-7 lead.

“To outgain an opponent by 220 yards and not win… it comes to two things, winning on special teams and winning the turnover battle.”

Despite the massive amount of turnovers the Pride were still in position to win the game thanks to outgaining Maine 531-311 and picking up 32 first downs to only 11 for the Black Bears. An Aaron Weaver four-yard touchdown reception from Cory Christopher with 2:22 left in the game brought the Pride to within 16-14.

Hofstra DB perseveres through tragedy

When Jordan Dangerfield recorded a key fourth quarter interception in Hofstra’s 24-17 upset over seventh-ranked James Madison last week, his father was not far from his thoughts.

On Aug. 1, just a week before Dangerfield’s first college football training camp was to begin, his father, friend and former coach Jordan Dangerfield, Sr. unexpectedly died of a heart attack at age 51. With the heavy support of his teammates and coaching staff, the freshman defensive back has managed to persevere through this personal tragedy and be a key contributor to the Hofstra defense early this season.

“Right after [the interception] I felt him and after the game I had a little talk with him,” said Dangerfield of how his father remains in his prayers just over two months after his passing.

Dangerfield Sr., a former longtime resident of Elmont, Long Island before moving with his family to Royal Palm Beach, Fla. in 2005, was very active as a firefighter, coach, PTA leader and as a devoted member of the Ethiopian Jewish community. He also had a deep commitment to his family and was excited to be attending his son’s games at Shuart Stadium. just eight miles from his former Elmont home.

Knowing how much it meant to his father to play football at Hofstra, the 5’7 170 pound Dangerfield managed to make that first practice of the season on Aug. 9 just over a week after suffering such a deep loss. “It was something he wanted me to do so I had to do it,” said Dangerfield of pressing through with his football career in the wake of incurring the sudden death of a loved one. “That is what I would have been doing if he was still here,so I had to do it.”

Hofstra defensive coordinator going up against former team

This Saturday’s annual homecoming game at Shuart Stadium against Maine will feature a reunion of a different variety for Hofstra defensive coordinator Rich Nagy, who was an assistant coach with the Black Bears from 2001-2005.

Nagy, who took over the Hofstra defense this season after spending the last three seasons at Murray State, will be going up against Maine for the first time since exiting the fellow Colonial Athletic Association North Division school four years ago. However the former standout running back at Trinity College is trying to treat this homecoming with Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove as just like any other game.

“Once the game starts it’s really about the competition and the winning and losing,” said Nagy, who remains close friends with much of the Maine coaching staff including Cosgrove. “I won’t be concerned about who is on the other side”

Hofstra (3-2, 1-1), which is coming off a 24-17 upset over seventh ranked James Madison, kicks off its homecoming game against Maine (2-3, 1-1) starting at 1 p.m..

Levey thrives under pressure for Hofstra field hockey

An important part of field hockey is penalty strokes and Hofstra head coach Kathy De Angelis has found a reliable executer of these key open shots in junior midfielder Amy-Lee Levey. The Zimbabwe native is striking a .1000 average this season with a perfect three-for-three on penalty strokes including the game-winning overtime goal against Quinnipiac on Sept. 16 and her first of a career high two goals in this past Sunday’s 4-3 overtime win over Virginia Commonwealth (VCU).

“I always look up to the opposite corner and try and fake the goalie out,” said Levey of her mental and physical approach toward taking a penalty stroke. “It is so cool to get it in.”

Since arriving at Hofstra in 2007 from Africa, where she played at an all-girls catholic school in Harare, Zimbabwe called Dominican Convent, Levey has proven to be a reliable offensive producer with 10 points her sophomore season and six as a freshman. However this is the first year where Levey has been called upon to take those pressure penalty strokes, which is a shot taken only 6.4 meters in front of the goalie after a foul occurs in the circle around the goal.

"We are 110% confident that Amy is going to put the stroke in,” said Coach De Angelis of Levey’s clutch goals off of penalties this year. “It’s definitely about power and being technical but you have to have that confidence and composure to get up there and to score.”

Three of Levey’s four goals this season have been by the penalty stroke variety and her other tally came at an opportune time as she poked in a shot off a scramble in front of the VCU net to give the Pride its recent overtime triumph. Hofstra (6-6 and 1-2 in the CAA) needs to finish in the top four if they are to reach the conference playoffs for the sixth straight season and if the Pride manages to keep that post-season streak alive, Levey will likely be a large reason why.

“She is an outstanding athlete with great skill as well as just an amazing heart, which is so important for a program,” said De Angelis.

In addition to her field hockey success Levey also excels in the classroom. The finance major received the CAA Commissioner’s Award and was named a member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Academics Squad her first two seasons at Hofstra. “She leads by example in every practice and every game,” said De Angelis.

Hofstra’s quest to reach the CAA playoffs will be largely determined this weekend when the Pride head to Virginia to battle William & Mary on Friday night and 16th-ranked Old Dominion on Sunday. “It’s our fist real away trip so our team is really going to come together,” said Levey. “We’re going to show them what Hofstra is made of.”

Caldwell brings Irish “Pride” to Hofstra

When senior defenseman Diane Caldwell first suited up for the Irish national team in early 2006 she got an early introduction to the Hofstra women’s soccer family that has formed in the Emerald Isle. While competing for her native country she played with Hofstra red-shirt senior Edel Malone and former Pride women’s soccer players Dolores Deasley, Elaine O’Connor, Kariena Richards and Casey O’Driscoll, who all played a huge influence on her decision to head to land on Long Island.

“They really encouraged me to come here,” said Caldwell of how the large make-up of Hofstra women’s soccer players competing for Ireland brought her to Hempstead. "[Playing at Hofstra] has met my expectations and more."

Caldwell has adapted well to her surroundings at Hofstra on and off the field and is hoping to extend her senior season as long as possible. The physical education major tallied Hofstra’s winning goal in a 1-0 triumph over George Mason last Friday night on a corner kick with 7:35 remaining in the game. Caldwell’s senior leadership has been a major factor in the Pride’s number three ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic Region following a 7-3-1 start and 4-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association heading into home games this weekend against Old Dominion and William & Mary.

One word that would sum up Caldwell’s many attributes is “versatility” as since first arriving at Hofstra in 2006 the Balbriggan, Ireland native has played forward, midfield and her final college soccer season on defense. Head coach Simon Riddiough opted to move Caldwell to defense in order to solidify a backline that graduated some key starters from a year ago.

“She just wants to play and wants to win,” said Riddiough. “She is very unselfish.”

Caldwell got a taste of NCAA tournament play during her sophomore year in 2007 when Hofstra defeated Ohio State before dropping an overtime heartbreaker to Penn State in the second round. With her desire to win and return to the NCAAs, she will perform whatever tasks are asked of her. “Because I am so versatile I’ll play wherever,” she said. “I’ll play in goal if I have to.”

Is JMU win Hofstra football’s biggest?

Nobody would argue that the Pride’s 24-17 upset of seventh-ranked James Madison was the biggest in the Dave Cohen-era but where does it rank in all-time Hofstra gridiron victories since joining Division I in 1991?

The last time Hofstra beat a team as high as seventh-ranked was head coach Joe Gardis’s final game against Massachusetts (21-10) on Nov. 19, 2005, but since it was to end a non-playoff season at 7-4, that cannot  even be considered on the same planet as the JMU triumph. Hofstra’s 10-9 win at second-ranked Montana to start the 2000 season when the Pride were ranked 11^th certainly ranks up there as that allowed the blue and gold to reach the playoffs as an independent despite having three losses. Hofstra winning its first Division IAA playoff game against Lehigh 27-15 in 1999 had its own significance, but it was a game the Flying Dutchmen (as they were called then) were expected to win at home.

I would rate the Montana win over James Madison as biggest in the Division I-era because of being able to accomplish the feat over a national-championship caliber team in a hostile environment on the road. However if Hofstra can keep the momentum from the JMU victory and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2001, it will certainly go down as one of the most important wins in program history.

Hofstra softball celebrates past & present at alumni day

The past and present of Hofstra softball’s rich history gathered yesterday for the fifth annual alumni day featuring more than 30 former Pride players hitting the base paths against the current players.

Since the autumn tradition at the Hofstra University Softball Stadium began in 2005, the alumni team has been competitive in their games against the current team but always managed to come up a little short. However the most important part of the day is allowing former Pride players a chance to catch up with old friends and pass on pointers to the current Hofstra team. Following the game the entire Hofstra softball family enjoyed a barbeque prepared by parents of the current players.

“We always get a good turnout of alumni because we are all so proud of the program we played for and the rich tradition we all had a hand in creating,” said Meaghan Almon, Hofstra softball's starting catcher from 2001-2004. “Hofstra Softball is one big family and we are very proud of what we have accomplished over the years.”

Hofstra softball has enjoyed stellar success under head coach Bill Edwards including 11 straight conference titles from 1998-2008. Five former Hofstra players from that 11-year run of dominance spoke at alumni day to gohofstra.com about the program’s success.