Medaille Sports

The Empire State Games came to Buffalo, NY in 2010 and several current and former Maverick athlete’s had strong showings.  A pair of seniors led their respective teams to gold medals as Ryan Maxwell (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home)(pictured) was the starting setter on the Western Region men’s volleyball squad that defended their gold from the 2008 games.  While Gina Pera (Clarence, NY/Clarence) was strong for the Western women’s soccer team that claimed gold as well.  Sophomore transfer Kara Donner (Springville, NY/Springville-Griffith) was a member of that team as well.  Two former Lady Maverick women’s basketball players had critical roles on the silver medal winning Western team as Marisa Clark (Hilton, NY/Hilton)(’08) and Carissa Ferrucci (Hamburg, NY/Immaculata)(’09) provided a strong backcourt during the tournament en route to their runner-up finish.  Sophomore Kevin Au (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) and incoming freshman Gregory Hoffman (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda) each played for the Western region in the men’s soccer tournament, with Au registering an assist in their win over New York City.  The Western region continued their dominance of the games as they won the medal count again with (242) including a remarkable (104) golds.

The AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) announced its All America teams this afternoon and senior Ryan Murdie (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore East)(pictured) was named to the Second Team.  He becomes the fifth Medaille men’s volleyball player to earn this distinction.  Murdie had a tremendous season which capped off a sparkling career.  In 2010 he led the Mavs with (383) kills while hitting at a (.295) clip  he also dug up (109) balls and blocked (83) attempts.  He became the schools all time leader in blocks and also reached the (1,000) kill plateau.  Murdie saved his best volleyball for matches against ranked opponents this season where he sparkled against the nations top teams.  The Mavs finished with a (21-10) record and were unbeaten in divisional play.

The Medaille College men’s volleyball team saw its season end with a (3-1); (30-21, 30-27, 21-30, 30-21) loss to #1 Rivier College in the quarterfinals of the NECVA Tournament in Cape Cod.  The loss leaves the Mavs with a tremendous (21-10) final record.  Seniors Andrew Nawotka (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) (14 kills – 9 digs), Ryan Murdie (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore East) (13 kills – 4 blocks) and Ryan Metz (Cheektowaga, NY/Maryvale) (7 kills – 6 digs) all wrapped up their stellar careers with strong performances.  Junior setter Ryan Maxwell (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) continued his terrific play by dishing out (45) assists.  The Mavs went undefeated in Divisional play (8-0) in 2010 and placed six players on the NECVA Western All Division team while head coach Keith Koch  was named Divisional Coach of the Year.

The Medaille College men’s volleyball team took to the court as the #8 seed in the NECVA Tournament and they faced #9 seed SUNY New Paltz in Hyannis, MA.  The two teams played a seesaw match with the Mavs outlasting the Hawks (3-2); (31-29, 23-30, 21-30, 30-24, 15-11).  The epic five setter was played in front of 250 spectators and lasted over two hours.  The Mavs received stellar hitting from a pair of players as Andrew Nawotka (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) (15 kills – .407 kill %) and Erin Kelly (Clifton Springs, NY/Midlakes) (10 kills – .588 kill%) led the way.  (more…)

Medaille Mavericks men’s volleyball has set fire to the NECVA Western Division all season long, and on Friday, they were recognized for doing so. Head Coach Keith Koch was named NECVA Western Division Coach of the Year, becoming the fifth Medaille Head Coach to earn Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2009-10 (Dan Krzyzanowicz, Pete Lonergan, Mike MacDonald, Jake Beiter). The Mavs also had (6) first and second team nominees, more then any other school in the Western Division. Getting named to the first team were senior Ryan Murdie (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore East), senior Andy Nawotka (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island)(pictured), junior Ryan Maxwell (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home), and junior Dan Jackson (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg). Selected to the second team were sophomore Nick Johnson (Buffalo, NY/Canisius), and freshman Erin Kelly (Clifton Springs, NY/Midlakes). Medaille College (20-9) also learned their fate in the upcoming NECVA Tournament on Sunday, being seeded (8) in the (16) team field. The Mavericks will face off against the Hawks of SUNY New Paltz on Friday, April 9 at 8pm. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals and face the winner of the (1) Rivier, (16) New Jersey City match-up on Saturday, April 10.

The Medaille College men’s volleyball secured a spot in the NECVA Tournament and posted their first twenty win season in the past three years.  The Mavs took part in the NECVA Western Division playoffs hosted by Philadelphia Biblical University.  After earning a bye into the semifinals the Mavs made quick work of Nazareth College (3-0); (30-27, 30-23, 30-26) to earn a spot in the divisional final. That game would pit them against the host team and Philly Bible would prove to be too much as they surged past the Mavs (3-0); (30-26, 30-24, 30-27) to send Medaille to a runner-up spot in the division.  The Mavs were led by seniors Ryan Murdie (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore East) and Ryan Metz (Cheektowaga, NY/Maryvale) as Murdie finished with (21) kills and Metz with (17).  Junior setter Ryan Maxwell (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) assisted on (66) kills in the two matches while Dan Jackson (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg)  finished with (17) digs.  The Mavs are now (20-9) on the year and they will find out their NECVA Tournament seeding on April 4th.

The accolades continue to pile up for senior forward Keith Hack (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay)(pictured) who followed up his AMCC Player of the Year distinction by being named to the East Region First Team by the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches).  Hack was slated as the Preseason Player of the Year in the AMCC and lived up to that billing as he led the Mavs to their second straight conference regular season and tournament titles.  The Mavs took part in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year and advanced to the second round for the first time in program history.  They finished the year with a program best 24-5 record while going (16-4) in conference play.

The Medaille College men’s volleyball finished out regular season play with three straight victories at a quad-match held on the campus of Stevenson University in Maryland.  In their first match the Mavs made quick work of Division II Pfeiffer University (3-0); (30-28, 30-28, 30-25) that match took place Friday evening.  On Saturday morning Medaille went back to work as they swept Hunter College (3-0); (30-24, 30-22, 32-30) in the 10:00am match and then they rolled by host Stevenson University (3-0); (34-32, 30-22, 30-27) in their 12:00pm tilt. The Mavs were led by Ryan Murdie (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore East)(pictured) who pounded out (30) kills while hitting (.355), he also had (15) digs, (7) blocks and (5) service aces.  His thirty kills pushed him over the (1,000) career kills mark, making him the fourth player in program history to do so. He now has (1,026) in his illustrious career.  (more…)

Senior Andrew Nawotka (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island)(pictured) started the 2010 season on the sideline with an injury.  He is healthy now and his performance last week earned him NECVA Western Division Player of the Week honors.  The Mavericks went (2-1) last week and Nawotka led the way as he posted (43) kills while hitting at a (.381) clip.  Even more impressive was his defensive effort at the net where he came up with (19) total blocks.  The Mavs are currently (16-8) on the year and are ranked 9th in the AVCA (national) poll and 5th in the NECVA (conference) rankings.  The Mavs will head to Stevenson University this weekend to take part in their tournament.  They will face Division II Pfeiffer University at 7:00pm on Friday (3/12).

Male: Ron Malicki (Jr. – Machias, NY)(Basketball)

Ron was the Mavs best player in their two NCAA Tournament games. In the opener he registered a career high (28) points leading Medaille to an overtime victory over Nazareth College. In a heartbreaking one-point loss to SUNY-IT in the Second Round Malicki tallied (15) more points. He also grabbed (13) rebounds in the two games. The Mavs finished the season with a program best record of (24-5).

Female: Alyssa Zemla (Jr. – Hamburg, NY)(Softball)

In a (2-2) week for the Lady Mavs Alyssa went (7 for 13) with (2) home runs, (7) rbi’s while also posting a double and a triple. She now has (21) career home runs which is second on the all time list. The Lady Mavs are on spring break at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.