AMHERST, N.Y. – Senior
Brittany Denton (Oakfield, N.Y.) of the women's track and field team and redshirt freshman
Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) of the men's basketball team have been named the Daemen College Student-Athletes of the Month presented by Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC for February 2018.
Denton competed in three meets last month and recorded six top-five finishes. The middle distance specialist capped the month by leading Daemen to a fifth place showing at the East Coast Conference Championships on Feb. 23, accounting for 18 of the team's 62 points. She placed second out of 13 entrants in the one-mile run with a time of 5:20.36, and followed up with a first-place showing in the 1,000-meter run—crossing the finish line in 3:06.57.
Denton opened the month by capturing first and fourth place finishes at the Highlander Invitational hosted by Houghton College on Feb. 10. She topped the field of 13 participants in the one-mile run, crossing the finish line in 5:21.37, and later posted a fourth-place showing out of 33 entrants in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:28.09. A week later she would finish second in both the one-mile run and 800-meter run at the Brockport Golden Eagle Invitational, hosted by The College of Brockport. She crossed the finish line in 5:16.72 in the one-mile run, and ran the 800 meters in 2:25.82.
The Daemen women's track and field team is idle until it opens the 2018 outdoor season by taking part in the Geneseo Invitational on March 31.
Sischo, a 6-foot-9 center, shot 61-percent (59-for-97) from the field and averaged 18.1 points and 10.8 rebounds to lead the Wildcats to a perfect 8-0 record during February. He opened the month with 14 points and nine rebounds in a 73-66 win at regionally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas College. The victory snapped a trio of streaks for the homestanding Spartans, who entered the game as winners of six straight games overall, a region-best 19 straight home games and 20 straight conference home games. A week later he totaled 18 points and 14 rebounds in a win over longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan College. The highlight of the month came on Feb. 16 when Sischo played 45 minutes and racked up a career-high 36 points and a career-high 23 rebounds in a thrilling double-overtime victory over Molloy College. The 36 points were the most for a Daemen player since Torrence Dyck (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 35 in an epic come-from-behind win over Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 12, 2016. The 23 rebounds were the most for a Daemen player since Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y.) hauled in 21 vs. Dowling College on Jan. 9, 2015. The 23 boards also ranks as the fourth most by a Division II player this season. A week later he registered his seventh 20-point game of the year, as he totaled 23 points and nine rebounds in a 61-58 win at Long Island University Post.
An eight-time ECC Rookie of the Week and one-time ECC Player of the Week selection this season, Sischo has appeared in all 29 games while making 17 starts. He leads all ECC freshmen and ranks seventh among the overall conference leaders in scoring (15.5 ppg). He also ranks among the league leaders in rebounding (8.4 rpg - second), made field goals (190 - third) and field goal percentage (57.4 - third). With 449 total points, Sischo has scored the most points for a Daemen freshman since Brian Montanaro's (Liverpool, N.Y.) 420 during the 2002-03 season.
Daemen (22-7) returns to action Saturday (March 3) when it takes on St. Thomas Aquinas College (24-6) in the semifinals of the ECC Tournament. The winner advances to the tournament championship game on Sunday (March 4). The tournament semifinals and championship are being played at Voller Athletic Center on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan College. The ECC tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Division II Tournament.
Additional student-athletes considered for Athlete of the Month honors included Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y.) of the women's basketball team, Katlyn Newberry of the women's bowling team,
Taylor Haude (Rochester, N.Y.) of the women's track and field team,
Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) of the men's basketball team, Rodney Corbin (Williamsville, N,Y.) of the men's track and field team and Alonzo Rodriguez-Spencer (Buffalo, N.Y.) of the men's track and field team.
