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Bulldogs to Launch New Website

The 2003-2004 athletic season brings with it a new website for the Yale Bulldogs. The website features a new look and increased coverage of all sports. The domain name http://www.yalebulldogs.com will be set up to lead to the new website, but for now it can be previewed here.

Men's Basketball Schedule Released

Eleven home games, including three in December, highlight the 2003-04 Yale men's basketball schedule.

Yale opens the season on Nov. 17 at Connecticut in the Preseason NIT. The Bulldogs' first home game in the friendly confines of the John J. Lee Amphitheater is Dec. 4 against Sacred Heart. Yale also has home contests against non-league opponents Fairfield (Dec. 7) and Niagara (Dec.20). In addition, the Bulldogs play Wake Forest on Nov. 29 at the Arena at Harbor Yard in nearby Bridgeport, Conn.

Last year Yale played its first 10 games on the road and didn't have a home game until Jan. 8.

"Over the past four years we have tried to put together a challenging non-conference schedule to help prepare us for the intense conference campaign," Yale head coach James Jones said. "This year is no different. We play many teams from the major conferences, highlighted by games against UConn on ESPN2 and Wake Forest. It is my hope that these games will help prepare us to compete for another Ivy championship."

The Bulldogs will play eight games against teams that reached the post season last year. UConn, Wake Forest and defending Ivy League champion Penn were all in the NCAA Tournament, while Fairfield, Rhode Island and Brown participated in the NIT.

Another highlight of the schedule comes on Feb. 6 in New Haven when James Jones coaches against his younger brother Joe, who is in his first year as the head coach at Columbia. The two meet again to close the regular season on Mar. 6 in New York City.

2003-04 Yale Men's Basketball Schedule

Nov. 17-28 Preseason NIT - Nov. 17 at UConn; Nov. 22-23 at Pepsi Marist Classic (Yale, Marist, Eastern Michigan, Coastal Carolina); Nov. 26 at Bucknell; Nov. 29 vs. Wake Forest (Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport); Dec. 4 vs. SACRED HEART; Dec. 7 vs. FAIRFIELD; Dec. 11 at St. Peter's; Dec. 20 vs. NIAGARA; Dec. 30 at South Carolina; Jan. 3 at American; Jan. 7 at Rhode Island; Jan. 10 vs. SUNY OLD WESTBURY; Jan. 16 vs. BROWN; Jan. 23 at Brown; Jan. 30 vs. PENN; Jan. 31 vs. PRINCETON; Feb. 6 vs. COLUMBIA; Feb. 7 vs. CORNELL; Feb. 13 at Dartmouth; Feb. 14 at Harvard; Feb. 20 at Princeton; Feb. 21 at Penn; Feb. 27 vs. HARVARD; Feb. 28 vs. DARTMOUTH; Mar. 5 at Cornell; Mar. 6 at Columbia.

Cozza Enshrined in College Football Hall of Fame

Legendary Yale football coach Carm Cozza (left) was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame on August 9. His plaque reads:

"Few in the history of collegiate athletics have had the impact and staying power on a school and football program like that of Yale's Carmen Cozza. His influence on the school and the game of amateur football will be felt for years to come.

Guiding Yale through its transition from Division I-A to Division I-AA, Cozza holds the school's coaching record for seasons coached (32), wins (179) and winning seasons (18). Upon his retirement in 1996, Cozza ranked 12th among active Division I coaches in wins and has coached in numerous all-star games including the East-West Shrine Game, Blue-Gray Game and Epson Ivy League Bowl in Japan.

Winning ten Ivy League Championships, Cozza has earned seven Kodak District I Coach of the Year Awards. Under his tutelage, several of his players have been honored with various academic awards and distinctions including five National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar-Athletes, seven NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship recipients, seven CoSIDA Academic All-Americas and five Rhode Scholars.

A community-minded individual, Cozza received the Walter Camp Award and the Veritas Award from Providence College for his outstanding civic work."

Yale Soccer Well-Represented at Under-18 Nationals

The Under-18 National Youth Soccer Championship on July 27 had a distinctive Yale flavor. The head coaches of the two teams in the championship game were both Yale soccer alumni, and two incoming freshmen participated in the game.

Lars Richters '91 coached his Michigan Wolves club team to the national title with a penalty-kick victory over Marin United, coached by Richters' former teammate, Rick Fullerton '93. The game was tied 2-2 through regulation and overtime and came down to a shootout which the Wolves won 4-3. Two days earlier, the teams had played to a 1-1 tie in the round-robin phase of the championships.

Striker Gage Hills and defender Jake Miller, who both will be freshmen at Yale this fall, played for Marin United. Hills had two goals and two assists in the tournament, while Miller came up from the back to head in a corner kick in a game against a team from Tulsa.

"On behalf of the Yale soccer community, I'd like to congratulate Lars on his national championship and Rick for an excellent season which saw his team beat last year's champion on their way to Nationals," said Yale head coach Brian Tompkins.

Bulldogs 5th in NCSA Power Rankings

Yale finished 5th in the National Collegiate Scouting Association Power Rankings with a rank of 9.67. The rankings are based on the most recent Sears Cup Rank, US News and World Report Rank, and student-athlete graduation rate. The rank reflects the high academic and athletic standards of the university.

Princeton (3.00) was first, followed by Harvard (4.33), Williams (5.33) and Amherst (7.67). The Bulldogs were ranked 9th in the Sears Cup, 3rd in US News, and 17th in student-athlete graduation rank for 29 points.

Davis, Wei All-American Scholars

Yale women's golfers Jordanna Davis and Stephanie Wei were named to the National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar Team, announced July 18. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent of all college athletics. The minimum cumulative GPA is 3.50 (3.40 for Seniors) and student-athletes must have competed in at least 66% of the college’s regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year.

Lavelli, Vancisin Picked for NE Basketball Hall of Fame

Two of Yale Basketball’s finest have been selected for induction into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Tony Lavelli ’49 and former head coach Joe Vancisin will be inducted on September 19 in the Ryan Center on the campus of the University of Rhode Island.

Lavelli is one of the all-time greats in Yale Basketball history. A 6-3 forward from Somerville, Mass., Lavelli scored 1,964 points in his four seasons, including 671 as a senior, leading Yale to the NCAA Tournament. He was named the National Player of the Year in 1949 and graduated as the fourth-highest scorer ever in major college basketball history. He was a four-time All-America selection and a first-round draft choice of the Boston Celtics.

Vancisin was at the helm of the Yale program for 19 years from 1956-75, and led the squad to two Ivy League championships, including his first season in 1956-57, which went 18-8 and 12-2 in the league. The 1961-62 squad finished 18-6 overall and 13-1 in Ivy play to earn the league championship. He is the winningest coach in Yale basketball history, with 206.

Appleman Named Yale Volleyball Head Coach

Erin Appleman, who as an assistant coach helped lead Penn State to the 1999 NCAA title, has been named the head volleyball coach at Yale, Athletic Director Tom Beckett announced July 14.

Appleman spent eight years as an assistant coach at Penn State. During her tenure, the Nittany Lions reached the NCAA Final Four five times (1993, '94, '97, 98 and '99) and won five Big Ten championships. In addition, she served as an assistant coach for the USA Youth National team in 1995 and '96.

Prior to Penn State, Appleman served as an assistant coach at Cal State-Northridge and the University of San Diego.
"I am very excited to be coaching at one of the most prestigious universities in the country," Appleman said. "Throughout the interview process I was continually impressed by the Yale administration's commitment to the success of the student-athlete, and I am pleased to be part of such an energetic and enthusiastic environment. The players I have spoken to are definitely ready to work hard, and together I feel we can accomplish many positive things."

Appleman is a graduate of San Diego State, where she served as volleyball captain and was voted Most Valuable Player in 1989. Before transferring to San Diego State, she competed for two years at United States International University. In addition, she was a member of the Asics Tiger Junior Volleyball club for six years and was selected as MVP at the Junior National Tournament in 1985 when her team won the title.

Yale-Harvard Combine for Win over Oxford-Cambridge

Yale and Harvard combined for wins over Oxford and Cambridge in both men's and women's track. In men's action, the teams tied with 10 wins, but Yale-Harvard had 14 second-place finishes to take the victory. Lucas Meyer won the steeplechase with a track record 9:00.28, Jordan Chapman won the pole vault with a 4.50, Nate Lawrie won the shotput with a 14.98, Allen Czerwinski won the javelin with a 55.79, and Harvard and Yale also took the 4x400m relay. In women's competition, Yale-Harvard won 14-4. Candace Arthur won the 200m with a time of 26.03, Anika Kreider won the 400m with a time of 59.09, Rebecca Dickens won the 800m with a time of 2:09.33, Kate O'Neill won the 1500m with a match record time of 4:32.27, Laura O'Neill won the 5000m with a time of 16:53.49, Molly Lederman won the pole vault with a track and inaugural match record of 3.80, and Harvard and Yale also took the 4x100m relay and the 4x400m relay.

• Complete Results

Shay Named Men's Lacrosse Head Coach

Andy Shay, who as an assistant coach helped guide the University of Massachusetts to the NCAA quarterfinals in each of the last two years, has been named the head coach of men’s lacrosse at Yale, Athletic Director Tom Beckett announced June 25.
Shay spent four years as an assistant to Greg Cannella at UMass. During his tenure, the Minutemen won two ECAC championships and three New England titles. UMass posted an impressive 37-9 overall record in his last three seasons.
"This is an unbelievable opportunity,” Shay said. “Yale is one of the top universities in the world and one with a strong athletic tradition. I can't wait to get started and continue the great tradition of Yale lacrosse."
Shay served as the recruiting and defensive coordinator for the Minutemen. In each of the last two seasons, his defensive unit allowed under 10 goals a game and ranked third in nation in scoring margin. The 2001 squad led Division I in man-down defense, allowing opponents only 11 goals in 80 chances (.138).
Prior to joining UMass’ staff, Shay was an assistant coach at Delaware, where in 1999 he helped the Blue Hens capture the America East title with a 14-3 record and advance to the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history.
In June of 1999, Shay was selected to join Delaware head coach Bob Shillinglaw on the coaching staff of Team USA for the inaugural World Cup of Lacrosse. Team USA defeated Team Canada in a best-of-three series at John Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Shay began his coaching career as the head coach at Morrisville (N.Y.) Junior College, and he compiled a 20-17 record in three years. His 1995 team established a school record with a 10-4 mark, qualified for the regional playoffs and was ranked No. 5 in the final national poll.
Shay is a 1994 graduate of LeMoyne College where he was a four-year starting defenseman and served as team captain for two years. He was an All-Empire League selection as a senior when he led the team to a league title.

Kate & Laura O'Neill Earn Academic All-America Honors

The careers of twins Kate and Laura O'Neill (Milton, MA) may have come to an end, but the honors haven't stopped for the track and cross country stars. Both were named to the 2003 Verizon Academic All-America women's cross country/track & field first team.

Laura, an anthropology major with a 3.72 grade point average, earned three All-America honors this season. She finished fourth in the 10,000 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier this month, fifth in the 5,000 at the indoor championships in March and 13th at the NCAA cross country championships in November.

Kate, a history major with a 3.62 GPA, had three second-place finishes in NCAA events this year. She was the runner-up in the 10,000 at the outdoor championship, the 5,000 at the indoor championships and the cross country championships.

Kate and Laura are the only female runners in Ivy League history to run under 16 minutes in the 5,000 meters as well as the only ones to go below 33 minutes in the 10,000. In May they were together named the Most Outstanding Performer at the Heptagonal Championships. Between them, they finished first and second in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 - finishing within a second of each other in all three events. Kate became the first woman to win the 5,000 three straight times and Laura was the first do so in the 10,000.

Jacobson Ranked #1 in World

Yale fencer Sada Jacobson (Dunwoody, Ga.) has now done what no other American woman has ever done -- achieve the world's top ranking!

Jacobson claimed her first senior World Cup at the New York City Grand Prix over the weekend, defeating two-time World Cup champion Elena Jemayeva, of Moscow, Russia, 15-11, to earn the gold. Jacobson's sister, Emily, was the second-highest U.S. finisher at sixth, after being defeated by Jemayeva, 15-10, in the quarterfinals.

Sada Jacobson has been a two-time NCAA Champion for the Bulldogs and looks to be a force at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. The Ivy League has not had an Olympic fencing medalist since the Los Angeles Games of 1932 when Columbia's Hugh Alessandroni and Yale's Dernell Every and Frank Righeimer each earned bronze in team foil.

The preliminary rounds of the NYC Grand Prix took place at the Dodge Physical Fitness Center on Columbia's campus while the finalists dualed at the historic Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal.

Results are posted once available at the U.S. Fencing website.

O'Neills Earn All-America Honors

Kate and Laura O'Neill (Milton, MA) both earned All-America honors in the 10,000 meter run at the NCAA Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

Kate finished second in the 10,000 with a school and Ivy League record time of 32 minutes, 47.07 seconds, while Laura was fourth in 32:52.26. Stanford freshman Alicia Craig won the race with a time of 32:40.03.

"It was an exceptionally good performance," said Mark Young, Yale's director of men's and women's cross country and track and field. "They led for nearly half the race and set the pace. Their times were 30 seconds better than their previous personal bests, which is almost one second per lap."

Kate finished second in an NCAA event for the third time this season. She also was second at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November and second in the 5,000 run at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. This was the seventh time she earned All-America honors in her career.

Laura also earned All-America honors in each season this year. She was fifth in the 5,000 at the indoor championships and 13th at the cross country championships.

Yale to Open Basketball Season Against UConn

The Yale men's basketball team opens the 2003-04 season at Connecticut on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in the first round of the preseason National Invitation Tournament. John J. Powers, Executive Director of the NIT, announced the pairings on June 11. The game is scheduled to be televised nationally on ESPN2.

The winner of the Yale-UConn game plays the winner of Vermont-Nevada on Nov. 19. The semifinals and finals of the tournament are Nov. 26 and 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The other teams in the field are Georgia State, Utah, Missouri-Kansas City, Minnesota, St. Francis, NY, Massachusetts, Davidson, Texas Tech, Louisiana Lafayette, Georgia Tech, Hofstra and Marist.
The Bulldogs and Huskies have played 63 times with UConn holding a 42-21 advantage. UConn, which reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last year and has been selected as the 2003-04 preseason No.1 team by ESPN.com's Andy Katz, won the last meeting in 1997.
Yale is making its first appearance in the preseason NIT, but participated in the postseason NIT in 2001-02 and beat Rutgers in the first round before falling to Tennessee Tech.
Yale finished 14-13 overall and 8-6 in the Ivy League in 2002-03.

• Brackets

Elis Fall in Yale-Harvard Regatta

Harvard claimed the 138th Yale-Harvard Regatta on June 7, winning the varsity race with a time of 18:54.4 to Yale's 19:44.2. The Crimson also took the freshman (9:49.4 to 10:06.8) and junior varsity (13:57 to 14:31.2) races.

The day featured lots of drizzle but smooth conditions on the water. It marked Harvard's third straight sweep. The Crimson entered the competition ranked #1 in the country and were national champions and sprint champions. Yale was ranked #17 and finished 11th at sprints.

Previous Material on the Regatta:

• Yale-Harvard Regatta Release
• Fresh Perspective in the Elm City
• Yale-Harvard Regatta Brochure

Class Day Awards Cap Season

The Yale Athletic Department's most prestigious awards for student-athletes were handed out on Class Day, May 25.

In a break from tradition, two winners were selected for the Nellie Pratt Elliot Award, given to the senior woman whose excellence in the field of athletics and in her life at Yale best represents the ideals of sportsmanship and Yale tradition. The winners were identical twins Kate and Laura O'Neill.

The William Mallory award, presented to the senior man who on the field of play and in life at Yale best represents the highest ideals of American sportsmanship and Yale tradition, went to men's basketball captain Chris Leanza.

The Amanda Walton Award, given at the discretion of the Department of Athletics to an outstanding athlete who has excelled on the field of play and who has shown spirit and courage in transcending unforeseen challenges, went to football/lacrosse player Eric Wenzel.

Joel E. Smilow '54 Endows Three Key Coaching Positions at Yale

Yale University has received a leadership donation to endow three varsity athletic team coaching positions. Joel E. Smilow, a member of the Yale Class of 1954 and the former Chairman, CEO and President of Playtex Products Inc., has contributed the permanent funding for the head coaches of men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and women’s lacrosse. This marks the first time that women’s sports at the University will have endowed coaching positions.

The positions are named The Joel E. Smilow Class of 1954 Coach of Men’s Basketball, The Joel E. Smilow Class of 1954 Coach of Women’s Basketball, and the Joel E. Smilow Class of 1954 Coach of Women’s Lacrosse in recognition of matching funds that will be provided through a Class of 1954 challenge gift.

“Joel Smilow’s extraordinary generosity, combined with his love of sports, is helping to ensure that we can continue to offer Yale men and women athletic opportunities that are an appropriate complement to the exceptional caliber of our academic programs,” said Yale President Richard C. Levin. “At Yale, intercollegiate sports make an important contribution to liberal education.”

One of Yale’s most committed alumni both as a volunteer and donor Mr. Smilow served as National Chairman of Leadership and Major Gifts during the “…and for Yale” Campaign, and has also been a member of the Yale Development Board and of the Governing Board of the Association of Yale Alumni. In 1993, he received the Yale Medal, the University’s highest award for service, and he has also been named a Sterling Fellow for his extraordinary financial contributions. Currently Secretary of the Class of 1954, Smilow has made significant donations to Yale sports programs. Most notably, in 1988 he endowed the head football coach position, and in 1992 he was the lead donor for the renovation of the Yale Bowl field house, now known as the Joel E. Smilow Field Center.

“I am delighted to be able to again contribute to the continued vitality of sports at Yale. Solid athletic programs are an integral part of the very broad objective of attracting, educating and motivating people with the potential of being tomorrow’s leaders,” said Smilow, a longtime sports fan and advocate of athletics. At Yale, he participated in freshman crew and tennis, managed the varsity squash team, and served as sports director of WYBC, the student-run radio station.

“Mr. Smilow believes in leadership and he so generously provides it,” said Yale Director of Athletics Thomas Beckett. “We are honored to name three new coaching positions after this very special Yale Man.”