OPPENHEIMER SELECTED AS AN ACADEMIC ALL AMERICAN Junior Becomes First Female to Earn National Honor ONEONTA, N.Y.—Junior Beth Oppenheimer of Webster, N.Y. has been selected as a Third Team Verizon Academic All-American for the College Division in the sport of softball. She is one of only 33 student-athletes in the country to be selected to the team. With the honor she becomes the first female in school history to earn national recognition for her outstanding academic and athletic performance. The Academic All-America program is sponsored by Verizon Communications and the national team is selected by the 90 members that make up the Academic All-America Committee under the umbrella of the College Sports Information Directors of America. Oppenheimer, who was selected as a First Team ECAC AllStar for Upstate New York this spring, led Oneonta with a .476 batting average this spring while helping to lead the squad to their first ECAC Tournament appearance since 1997. She tied the single season record for hits with 60 this spring and was second on the team with 25 runs scored and 26 RBIs. This spring she was selected as an All-SUNYAC performer after leading the conference in hitting with a .491 average and has been a two-time Regional All-American. In May at the Athletic Department’s annual awards banquet she was selected as the Oneonta State Female Athlete of the Year. Academically, Oppenheimer has received numerous accolades including being a two-time recipient of the Alumni Association Award for Academic Excellence. Last spring she was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the National Student Honor Society, and she has also appeared on the SUNYAC All-Academic Team and Commissioner’s list during her first six semesters at Oneonta.
THREE RED DRAGONS EARN ALL AMERICA HONORS Seniors Matt Puerta and Brendan Heslin Reach Pinnacle The 2002 spring success was highlighted with three individuals being selected as All-Americans in their respective sports. Senior Brendan Heslin (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) became the first baseball player in school history to be honored when he was selected to the First Team. Senior Matt Puerta (Hicksville, NY/Hicksville) and sophomore Mike Louer (Islip, NY/Islip) earned All-America honors in lacrosse after leading the squad to a 13-5 record and an appearance in the ECAC Upstate New York Tournament. Heslin had a tremendous season in leading Oneonta to a 25-17 record and a berth in both the conference tournament and the ECAC Upstate New York Tournament. He was selected to the First Team for both the ECAC and SUNYAC All-Star Teams and this spring made his second straight appearance as a First Team Regional All-American. Heslin finished the season with a .448 average while leading the Red Dragons in every offensive category. Heslin had 78 hits which included 37 extra-base hits, 10 of which were home runs, and totaled 144 bases for an .828 slugging percentage. He scored a team-high 59 runs and drove in a team-best 46 runs from the leadoff spot in the order. For his career, Heslin hit .405 with 41 doubles, 20 triples and 21 home runs. He scored 146 runs and drove in 113 while collecting 62 stolen bases and 373 total bases for a slugging percentage of .660. Puerta, who earned All-SUNYAC and ECAC Upstate New York First Team honors for a second straight year in 2002, was selected as a Third Team All-American after leading Oneonta in scoring. He finished the season with 95 points on 52 goals and 43 assists while finishing in the top 10 in Div. III in points per game at nearly 5.3. He graduates as the program’s all-time leader in goals scored with 160 while finishing second all-time in career points with 275. Puerta, along with classmate Mike Massari (Shoreham, NY/Centereach) were selected to play in the USILA Senior North/South All-Star game at Johns Hopkins University on June 8th where Puerta had an assist in
2001-2002 Athletic Awards Fred Puritz First Year Players of the Year Luke Kitchen (soccer) Kim Powell (lacrosse) Valor Awards Scott Dredge (tennis) Deb Graffigino (volleyball) G. Hal Chase Awards Mike Ruger (tennis) Nicole McCullagh (field hockey/Lacrosse) Most Outstanding Single Performances Brian Suozzo (cross country) Kristin Lemon (basketball) Male Scholar Athlete Award Ryan Rummery (soccer) Lee Abbot Scholar Athlete Award Tristen Weaver (swimming & diving) Athletes of the Year Brendan Heslin (baseball) Beth Oppenheimer (softball) Ross Cordell Award Dr. Michael Merilan Team MVP’s Men’s Soccer: ................................................................. Jme Amoako Women’s Soccer: ..................................................... Kristen Henniger Field Hockey: ........................................................ Nicole McCullagh Volleyball: ....................................................................... Lacey Musso Women’s Swimming & Diving: .................................. Tristen Weaver Men’s Swimming & Diving: .................................... Ryan Harrington Men’s Basketball: ............................................................. Kurt Troyer Women’s Basketball: .................................................... Kristin Lemon Wrestling: ........................................................................ Dustin Winn Women’s Lacrosse: .......................................................... Pam Intorcia Baseball: ..................................................................... Brendan Heslin Softball: ................................................................. Beth Oppenheimer Women’s Tennis: ............................................................... Libby Kent Men’s Tennis: ............................................................ Patrick O’Toole Men’s Cross Country: .................................................... Brian Suozzo Women’s Cross Country: .................................................. Sara Snyder Men’s Lacrosse: ................................................................ Matt Puerta Women’s Track & Field: ..................... Abby McQueeney-Penamonte Men’s Track & Field: ....................................................... Chris Smith
helping the North squad to a 13-12 victory. Louer was selected as an Honorable Mention All-American after playing all but 42 minutes between the pipes for the Red Dragons in 2002. The Second Team All-SUNYAC selection was 13-5 with a 9.38 goals against average and a .615 save percentage. Brendan Heslin
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Matt Puerta
Mike Louer