RAIDERS COMPLETE FOOTBALL SIGNING DAY
Class of 2017 Features Nine Linemen, Seven Florida Signees
HAMILTON – Colgate head coach Dick Biddle announced Wednesday the addition of 21 members to the Class of 2017 as the Raiders took part in National Signing Day for the first time.
Biddle said the ability to offer scholarships this year changed the recruiting dynamic. Last year, Colgate kept recruiting through signing day and announced its signing class in late April.
“It was a unique thing for us this year,” Biddle said. “We were fortunate to be able to grant scholarships based on athletic merit, and that opened up the pool for the kind of player we were able to get this year. Overall, with all the newness about scholarships, our coaches did a great job.”
Biddle reminded everyone, however, that some things weren’t changing on the Raiders sideline.
“They still have to be great students,” he said. “It’s always going to be that way at Colgate. But (scholarships) enabled us to go after a Division I player or a Division I-AA scholarship player who maybe, financially, you weren’t able to go after.”
The Raiders inked nine linemen — five on the defensive side and four on who played offense — and signed seven student-athletes from the state of Florida. In addition to their Sunshine State connection, Biddle and his staff signed four each from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, three from New York and one apiece from Maryland, Ohio and Washington.
Colgate also welcomes two players each at linebacker, defensive back and quarterback positions, along with one placekicker and one running back.
Spring practice begins next month, and the defending Patriot League champions open their 2013 season Aug. 31 at Air Force.
Thumbnail bios of all Colgate signees are posted below.
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown/High School |
| Jonah Bowman | PK | 6-1 | 190 | Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing Area HS |
| Charles Cairnie | DL | 6-5 | 215 | Wooster, Ohio/Wooster HS |
| Alex Campbell | DL | 6-3 | 225 | Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan HS |
| Danny Copeland | QB | 6-1 | 183 | Potomac, Md./Bullis HS |
| Jordi Dalmau | OL | 6-3 | 295 | Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep HS |
| Kyle Diener | LB | 6-0 | 217 | Boca Raton, Fla./Pine Crest School |
| Brett Field | DL | 6-5 | 270 | Durhamville, N.Y./Vernon-Verona-Sherrill HS |
| Joe Figueroa | DB | 5-10 | 190 | Port St. Lucie, Fla./Fort Pierce Central HS |
| Dan Grasso | LB | 6-3 | 215 | Washington Township, N.J./Bergen Catholic HS |
| Ryan Kasten | OL | 6-4 | 270 | Farmingdale, N.J./Freehold Borough HS |
| Risley Lesko | WR | 5-11 | 175 | Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island HS |
| William Lucas | RB | 6-1 | 195 | Tampa, Fla./Jesuit HS |
| John Maddaluna III | WR | 6-1 | 170 | Bernardsville, N.J./Bernards HS |
| Jake Melville | QB | 6-1 | 185 | Sparta, N.J./Sparta HS |
| Chris Morgan | DB | 6-1 | 185 | Ardmore, Pa./The Haverford School |
| Nathan Obinwa | DL | 6-3 | 240 | Gotha, Fla./Olympia HS |
| Austin Perez | WR | 6-1 | 185 | Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius HS |
| Zack Provin | OL | 6-2 | 260 | Davie, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS |
| Ed Robinson | WR | 6-1 | 195 | Woodmere, N.Y./Lawrence HS |
| Grant Siegel | OL | 6-4 | 280 | Miami Beach, Fla./Gulliver Prep HS |
| Tom Spiteri | DL | 6-2 | 280 | Holland, Pa./La Salle College HS |
RAIDERS PICKED 3RD; BERGLIN EARNS PRESEASON HONOR
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Colgate women’s lacrosse team was selected to finish third in the annual Patriot League Preseason Poll and sophomore Jennie Berglin took home preseason defensive player of the year honors.
The poll consists of votes from each Patriot League coach and sports information director and they cannot vote for their own school.
Navy was picked to win the league with 72 points and all 12 first-place votes from the other six schools. Holy Cross, which finished as runner-up to the Mids last season, took second place in the poll with 55 points and two first-place votes. The next group of teams was closely bunched with Colgate (44), Lehigh (39), American (38) and Lafayette (34) ahead of Bucknell (12).
Berglin claimed the Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honor. Navy senior attack Jasmine DePompeo was voted as the Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, as the two-time honoree of the award now receives the title in the preseason for the second year in a row.
DePompeo and Berglin also headline the inaugural Women’s Lacrosse Preseason All-Patriot League Team. DePompeo is on the attack along with fellow seniors Addie Godfrey (Lafayette), Kimberly Collins (American) and Taylor Zebrowski (Holy Cross) as well as Lehigh sophomore Carli Sukonik. The midfield includes seniors Emily Burton (American) and Julie McBrien (Lehigh), junior Ana White (Lafayette) and sophomores Laura Ryan (Holy Cross) and Jess Fellows (Navy). Navy senior Brijet Mall, Lafayette junior Rachel Martin and Colgate sophomore Jenna Frost make up the defense, with Navy senior Michelle Verbeeck along with Berglin as the goalkeepers.
Thirteen of the 15 players earned All-Patriot League status last year, with six that made the first team. Overall, 18 of the 24 All-League selections from last season will return to the field in 2013.
Colgate is coming off yet another strong season, as the Raiders tied Holy Cross for second place at 4-2 in the Patriot League before falling to the Crusaders in the League Tournament semifinals. The Raiders will move forward without Courtney Miller, the 2012 Patriot League Midfielder of the Year who concluded her brilliant career in the top 10 in League history in points, goals, assists and draw controls. Defense should be a strength for the team, with Berglin earning first-team All-Patriot League honors last year while posting an 11.89 goals against average. Frost leads the defense as well after receiving second-team All-Patriot League honors last season, while Amanda O’Sullivan(31 goals, five assists) and Alison Flood (24 goals, three assists) are the leading returning goal-scorers.
The 2013 women’s lacrosse season begins on Feb. 10 when Navy hosts Winthrop, with Patriot League play opening up on March 9. Four teams qualify for the 2013 Patriot League Tournament, which will be played at the site of the highest seed with the semifinals on April 26 and championship on April 28.
2013 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
1. Navy, 72 points (12 first-place votes)
2. Holy Cross, 55 (2)
3. Colgate, 44
4. Lehigh, 39
5. American, 38
6. Lafayette, 34
7. Bucknell, 12
Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Jasmine
DePompeo, Navy (Sr., A)
Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Jennie Berglin, Colgate (So., GK)
Preseason All-Patriot League Team
Attack: Kimberly Collins, American (Sr.); Jasmine DePompeo, Navy (Sr.); Addie Godfrey, Lafayette (Sr.); Carli Sukonik, Lehigh (So.); Taylor Zebrowski, Holy Cross (Sr.)
Midfield: Emily Burton, American (Sr.); Jess Fellows, Navy (So.); Julie McBrien, Lehigh (Sr.); Laura Ryan, Holy Cross (So.); Ana White, Lafayette (Jr.)
Defense: Jenna Frost, Colgate (So.); Brijet Mall, Navy (Sr.); Rachel Martin, Lafayette (Jr.)
Goalkeeper: Jennie Berglin, Colgate (So.); Michelle Verbeeck, Navy (Sr.)
Note: Two additional attack and one additional goalkeeper due to ties in the voting.
BURNATOWSKI EARNS 2ND PATRIOT LEAGUE WEEKLY HONOR
HAMILTON – Murphy Burnatowski, a junior economics major, grabbed another Patriot League honor Monday after a pair of stellar performances against Army and Navy this past week.
He is named Patriot League Anaconda Player of the Week for the second time this season, becoming the first Raider since Howard Blue in 2003-04 to win the honor twice in the same year.
Burnatowksi led Colgate to its first two Patriot League victories of the season, moving them to 2-3 in conference play. He exploded for a career-high 35 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 12 seconds left in overtime of a 93-90 win over Army on Wednesday, then came through with 29 points in a 70-56 victory at Navy on Saturday.
He shot well in each game, making 14-of-24 shots and 5-of-9 three-pointers against Army, and 11-of-17 from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc against Navy. He finished the week shooting 61 percent from the field (25-of-41) and 50 percent from three-point range (8-of-16) in the two games.
The Waterloo, Ontario, native came alive in the second half against Army with 31 points as the Raiders rallied from a 14-point deficit. He averaged 32.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the week. Burnatowski stands second in the Patriot League and in the top 50 nationally with 18.0 points per game for the year.
The Raiders travel to Lafayette to face the Leopards in another PL matchup on Wednesday. Either Colgate or Lafayette will build on last week’s success with another win on Wednesday. Lafayette’s last three-game Patriot League win streak came in 2010, while Colgate last did it in 2009. The Leopards are trying to go 4-2 in the Patriot League for the second year in a row, while Colgate has not been at or above .500 through six league contests since 2005.
BUCKNELL BUZZER BEATER CLIPS RAIDERS-53-51
Lewisburg, Pa. – Bucknell’s Audrey Dotson scored the final two of her game-high 14 points as the buzzer sounded to edge Colgate 53-51 here Wednesday night.
The Raiders had rallied from 11 points down in the second half to tie the score at 51 whenJhazmine Lynch hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with exactly 1 minute remaining. Lynch was one of four Colgate players to finish with 10 points in the game.
Bucknell’s winning play came in the final 7.3 seconds. Shelby Romine took the inbounds pass and dribbled right of the lane, where she stopped and found Dotson inside the free-throw stripe. Dotson let it fly and the horn sounded just before the ball swished through the net.
Officials reviewed the play to make sure the shot beat the buzzer, but the play stood and Colgate dropped to 0-2 in the Patriot League and 6-10 overall. Bucknell improved 1-1 and 10-7.
Kelly Reid and Josie Stockill both scored six of their 10 points in the second half to rally the Raiders, who trailed 33-32 at intermission. Missy Repoli also had 10 for Colgate, including her first two 3-point baskets since Dec. 16 at Niagara.
The Raiders trailed 24-14 in the first half before putting together an 18-2 run for a 32-26 advantage. But Bucknell answered with the half’s final seven points, and then scored the first four after the break for a combined 11-0 spurt of its own that made it 37-32.
The Bison lead increased to 47-36 before Colgate mounted its comeback. Reid scored twice on the inside, as did Stockill, to make it 47-44 with 7:23 left. Bucknell pushed the lead back to 51-46 with 5:27 to play, but Colgate held the hosts scoreless until the final tick. Stockill scored on the inside to draw Colgate within 51-48 with 3:33 showing before the final heroics on both sides.
Baskets were at a premium in the second half, when the teams combined to make just 17 of 73 field goal attempts. Colgate finished at 26.6 percent for the game, while Bucknell shot 35 percent. Colgate won the rebound column 51-47, led by Reid’s 11 for a double-double.
Colgate hosts Lehigh on Saturday in the Patriot League home opener. Start time is 4 p.m.
