Rockland Announces 2012 Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
Tom McNamara, Seattle Mariner's Director of Amateur Scouting included in 2012 class
Dec. 21, 2011 - The Rockland Community College Athletic Department is pleased to announce the 2012 class of Sports Hall of Fame Inductees. Festivities will commence on January 21, 2012 at 7pm at the Italian-American Social Club in West Haverstraw.
The admission price of $50 includes hors d’ouvers, cocktails, salad, pasta, prime rib, coffee, dessert and dancing. For reservations or more information please call the RCC Athletic Office at (845) 574-4452 or 4512.
Five individuals make up the fifth annual class and will join the already 25 members Included. They are:
Joseph Romano ’64, Wrestling & Soccer Joe Romano was a force on the wrestling mat for RCC when the program was still in its infancy. In 1962 he advanced through the Regional Tournament and finished second. He finished third in 1963. He was a two-year team captain on the wrestling squad and was the soccer team captain in 1963. After serving the nation in the United States Navy, Romano came back to Rockland and took a teaching position at the Clarkstown Central School District in 1971. Two years later, he began an illustrious teaching and coaching career at Goshen High School. When he retired from coaching in 1985, his Gladiator teams had won several championships. His 1980 and 1984 teams reached the New York State Tournament with the 1980 team reaching the semi-finals. He compiled an amazing 110-10-2 coaching record, which resulted in the Goshen School District renaming its soccer field in Romano’s honor in 2010.
Tom McNamara ’85, Baseball Tom McNamara played baseball for the Hawks and was a 1985 All-Mid Hudson Conference selection. He then attended Dominican College where he helped the Chargers to NAIA District titles in 1986, 1987 and 1988. In 1988 he was an NAIA All-American. McNamara was signed by the Seattle Mariners and played one season for the Bellingham Mariners. He was also inducted into the Dominican College Sports Hall of Fame as a member of their first class. Following his playing career, McNamara continued his involvement with the game by joining the Hawks coaching staff. Working under head coach Dan Keeley, McNamara helped guide the Hawks to the 1993 NJCAA World Series. He left RCC after three seasons to take a position with the Seattle Mariners. He worked as an area scout for the Northeast region from 1994-2000. After spending two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and five years with the San Diego Padres organizations, he returned to Seattle and is now the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Mariners.
Lucia Lopez-Patterson ’87, Soccer & Softball Lucia Lopez-Patterson was two-sport standout at Rockland Community College from 1985 to 1987. In her freshman year on the softball diamond, she led the NJCAA in batting with a .627 average and a .966 slugging percentage. She collected 32 RBI and had four home runs that same year. Lopez-Patterson was also a catalyst on the women’s soccer team for two seasons.
Jack Watson ’90, Golf Jack Watson is currently a Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology and Chair of the Department for Sport Sciences at West Virginia University. Before attending the University of Virginia, and competing on the UVA golf team, Jack attended Rockland Community College from 1988-1990. He excelled on the RCC Golf team and qualified for the NJCAA National Championship twice, finishing second in 1990. In 1990, he was named an NJCAA All-American. Also in the same year, the Hawks finished the season ranked third in the final NJCAA polls.
Kurt A. Palmer ’96, Soccer Palmer was a member of the 1993 men’s soccer team that won the Region XV Championship and advanced to the NJCAA Tournament. The 1993 season ended with the nationally ranked (No. 8) Hawks boasting an 18-1-0 record. Palmer capped his two-year Rockland career by garnering a spot on the All-Mid Hudson Conference First Team and the All-Region XV Second Team. After graduation, Palmer attended St. John’s University and played two seasons of varsity soccer. Most notably, he was a member of the Red Storm’s 1996 team which captured the NCAA National Championship. He is now the Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach at Adelphi University after spending seven years as an assistant coach at St. Francis College in Brooklyn.
Also at the dinner, the Athletic Department will also present the Dr. Cliff L. Wood Service Award. The award, now in its second year, is presented to an RCC graduate who exemplifies outstanding community service.
Since 1960, SUNY Rockland Athletics has produced 51 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Americans and more than 50 former student-athletes have become coaches after their playing careers.
Former Hawks selected to Rockland Boulders
New team part of CanAm League
May 20, 2011 - Pitcher Justin Ottman and Shortstop Arturo Ledesma were among the six players selected during a tryout held by the newly formed Rockland Boulders of the CanAm League.
A left-handed pitcher, Justin Ottman pitched for the Hawks during the 2001-2002 season and holds a 9-1 record with a 1.75 ERA. He continued his collegiate career with Oklahoma State University. Over that time, he compiled a 22-7 record on the mound with an ERA of just over 3.00. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2000 during MLB's First Year Player Draft after graduating from North Rockland High School. He was then drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 19th round of the 2001 Draft but chose to play for Oklahoma State University in the Big 12 Conference. His professional career started in 2005 while playing for the San Diego Surf Dawgs in the Golden League to which they won the Golden Baseball League Championship. He then move to the Charlotte County Redfish of the South Coast League in 2007.
Arturo Ledesma was a standout shortstop for the Hawks during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 season. During his two year stint as a Hawk, Ledesma compiled 85 Hits, 59 RBIs, 32 Steals in 61 games played with a batting average of .384 to which he was voted as the 2007 Region XV Division II Player of the Year and was included in the All Region First Team. He then went on to play for Baruch College.
Conference Awards Announced
Rockland's Ziznewski voted Most Valuable Player
May 16 - Rockland Community College John Ziznewski (St. Peter's Boys High, Staten Island) was voted as the Most Valuable Player of the Mid-Hudson Conference 2010-2011 Baseball Season. The shortstop compiled 57 hits and 48 RBIs while leading Region XV in hitting with a .479.
2011 All Conference Team is composed of:
| First Team | Second Team |
|---|---|
| Stephen Sunday C (SCCC) Carl Nuccilli CF (DCC) Matt Petro P (UCCC) Jordan Kolinsky 1B/P (RCC) Jossue Delgado CF (SCCC) Chris Orlando 3B (WCC) Travis Renwick P (OCCC) Jared Croce OF (RCC) Chris Connelly DH (UCCC) |
Tyler Gurman RF (WCC) Pat Farina SS (WCC) Jesse Calcagni C (WCC) Efrain Bautista SS (SCCC) Argenis Salazar C (SCCC) Zac Menendez OF (OCCC) Craig Miller P (SCCC) Kyle Montross P (OCCC) Nick Gattuso C (UCCC) Luigi Martinez DH (WCC) |
Region XV DII Awards Announced
Rockland's Ziznewski & Orange's Renwich wins top awards
May 13, 2011 - Rockland Community College's John Ziznewski was named Region XV Division II "Player-of-the-Year," and SUNY Orange Community College's Travis Renwick was named "Pitcher-of-the-Year" for the 2011 season. Region XV Division II coaches made their All-Region selections at a meeting Thursday night.
A Staten Island product, Ziznewski led Region XV in hitting with a .479 average. After coming back from "Tommy John" surgery, the St. Peter's Boys High alum had 57 hits and 48 RBI in 2011. He also led the Hawks with 3 home runs in 33 games played.
Renwick, a Chapel Field High graduate, posted a 5-2 record and carried a 3.58 ERA in 10 appearances. In 47.2 innings, the Middletown native, struck out 41 batters and allowed only 12 walks.
Sullivan County Community College defeated Rockland Community College 12-6, in the Region XV Tournament Championship game on May 9. Ryan Snair, the Generals second-year Head Coach, was named 2011 "Coach-of-the-Year." Sullivan will play in the JUCO Northeast District Division II Tournament starting Saturday May 14 at SUNY New Paltz. Their first game is slated for 10am.
2011 All Region Team is composed of:
| First Team | Second Team | |
|---|---|---|
| P P P C 1B 2B 3B SS OF OF OF DH |
Craig Miller (SCCC) Travis Renwick (OCCC) Matt Petro (UCCC) Stephen Sunday (SCCC) Jordan Kolinsky (RCC) Joseph Gonzalez (DCC) Chris Orlando (WCC) John Ziznewski (RCC) Carl Nuccilli (DCC) Jared Croce (RCC) Jossue Delgado (SCCC) Chris Connelly (UCCC) |
Frank Rosario (UCCC) Dan Castro (SCCC) John Hryko (WCC) Nick Gattuso (UCCC) Rich Rielly (WCC) Anthony Tyndal (WCC) Brandon Walker (OCCC) Pat Farina (WCC) Tyler Gurman (WCC) Zac Menendez (OCCC) Tyler Schultis (UCCC) Luigi Martinez (WCC) |
-- Kevin Hanlon
Sullivan wins Region XV DII Crown
Will head to Districts next weekend
May 11, 2011 - In a game that took nearly four hours Monday night, Sullivan County Community College wasted little time proving it had the most prolific lineup in Region XV Division II play this season. The Generals continued their superlative offensive attack by blasting four Rockland pitchers for a total of 16 hits in a 12-6 championship game victory. In all, the Generals scored 40 runs and collected 42 hits in three tournament games.
In the clincher, with Rockland building momentum in the bottom of the seventh, tournament Most Valuable Player Efrain Bautista smashed a Jordan Kolinsky pitch over the centerfield wall for a 3-run home run. His shot put the Generals back up by 6 runs and served as crushing blow to the Hawks' comeback effort. In the top of the inning, Rockland scored three runs to close the gap to 9-6. With two runs already in on a balk and a Wade Poppe single, Anthony Gokey lined a single to left field. Mike Stevens scored on the play, however John Emmitt Griffin was cut down at the plate thanks to a great throw from Kidany Mendoza.
After Bautista's blast, Eugenio Mesa replaced Sullivan starter Craig Miller, and pitched the final two innings. He held the Hawks scoreless while striking out three and walking two.
Three Generals had three hits apiece, with Bautista going 3-for-5 with 5 RBI. Corey Hamula and Stephen Sunday went 3-for-5 and 3-for-4 respectively. Both netted two RBI each. Kolinsky and Jared Croce each finished strong tournaments. Croce had three hits (3-for-5) and had an RBI. Kolinsky added two hits and was more than serviceable out of the bullpen. Other than the three earned runs he gave up, the Clarkstown South graduate, struck out seven over five innings of work.
Sullivan (19-21), which won their second Regional title in four years, will compete in the NJCAA Northeast District Tournament May 14-15. Rockland finished their season at 19-19.
| Friday, May 6 - Play-in Games (at Higher Seed) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4:00PM | #6 Ulster vs. #3 Orange | 7 - 11 | Details | ||
| 4:00PM | #5 Dutchess vs. #4 Rockland | 2 - 12 | Details | Photos | |
| Saturday, May 7 (at Rockland Community College) | |||||
| Game 1 | 10:00AM | #2 Westchester vs. #3 Orange | 9 - 1 | Details | |
| Game 2 | 1:00PM | #1 Sullivan vs. #4 Rockland | 14 - 3 | Details | Photos |
| Game 3 | 4:00PM | #3 Orange vs. #4 Rockland | 8 - 11 | Details | Photos |
| Sunday, May 8 (at Rockland Community College) | |||||
| Game 4 | 10:00AM | #2 Westchester vs. #1 Sullivan | 2 - 14 | Details | Photos |
| Game 5 | 1:00PM | #2 Westchester vs. #4 Rockland | 4 - 7 | Details | Photos |
| Monday, May 9 (at Rockland Community College) - Championship | |||||
| Game 6 | 4:00PM | #1 Sullivan vs. #4 Rockland | 12 - 6 | Details | Photos |
| Game 7 | 7:00PM | If necessary | |||
| Conference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Pct | |
| SCCC | 12 | 8 | 1 | .600 |
| WCC | 11 | 9 | 0 | .550 |
| OCCC | 11 | 9 | 0 | .550 |
| RCC | 10 | 10 | 0 | .500 |
| DCC | 9 | 10 | 0 | .474 |
| UCCC | 6 | 13 | 1 | .316 |
| Final | ||||
| Overall Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Pct | |
| WCC | 26 | 15 | 0 | .634 |
| RCC | 19 | 17 | 0 | .528 |
| SCCC | 14 | 19 | 0 | .424 |
| OCCC | 14 | 20 | 0 | .412 |
| DCC | 9 | 15 | 0 | .375 |
| UCCC | 8 | 18 | 0 | .308 |
| Final | ||||