From The Director of Athletics' Desk...
 

It has been an exciting February Wildcat Fans!
 
As you may have read in the Daemen Voice, the men's basketball team became the first team to qualify for NCAA post season play by securing a berth into the East Coast Conference Tournament.  The women's basketball team remains in the hunt for the last available spot.  Please be on the lookout for information as to the ECC tournament games.  The final two games will be played at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C.    It would be great to see those of you who live in the Greater DC area.  Many of us from Daemen will be headed there to cheer on our coaches and student-athletes. 
 
We've seen a number of standout athletic performances in the past month, headlined by men's basketball student-athlete Torrence Dyck, who scored his 1000^th point on Senior Day against ECC foe New York Institute of Technology, becoming just the fourth two-year player in team history to accomplish the milestone.  Our men's and women's indoor track and field teams, led by the likes of Niko Jemmison and Mackenzie Donahue, respectively, have consistently broken team records week after week as they prepare for this weekend's conference championship meet.  Donahue has already hit the provisional qualifying time for the national championship meet in the 5,000-meter run.  Our women's tennis program secured its third-straight championship in the Daemen/Medaille Invitational this past weekend.  The women's bowling team also posted notable performances in matches against cross-town rival Medaille.  The first-year program is coached by Lockport High School Hall of Famer Jennifer Kinyon and has made their mark on the collegiate bowling scene. 
 
On the academic front, Daemen Athletics learned that 83 of our student-athletes earned Dean's List honors.  Senior Ashley Cheff was noted for co-authoring her second published research article with Assistant Philosophy Professor Dr. Serife Tekin.  It is also the time of year that our soon to be graduates receive news on acceptance into graduate programs.  Daemen Athletics is proud that some of our seniors will be heading off to law school and master's degree programs.  Receiving texts noting acceptance letters and seeing the smiles on their faces as they share such news re-enforces our vision at Daemen of creating an athletics program the furthers the development of our student-athletes both academically and athletically.  Daemen aims to truly meet the NCAA Division II mottos of "Life in the Balance" and "Make it Yours."  
 
In addition to academic and athletic progress, we are also proud of the role Daemen Athletics coaches, student-athletes and administrators are having on various community initiatives.   On Saturday, February 20, the Daemen Student-Athlete Advisory Committee held its Second Annual Night Out on the Wildcat event.  It was truly a proud night as over 20 student-athletes interacted with over 40 local youths ages four to 13.  There were lots of laughs and some tired kiddos by night's end and the event raised over $250 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.   We also hosted numerous mini halftime games for various youth basketball teams during our men's and women's basketball home games.  Each halftime game is followed with a post-game meet and greet with our student-athletes.   March will bring the signing of our third Team IMPACT player.  Stay tuned for details.

It was also great earlier this month to welcome alumnus Brian Pettit and his family back to Lumsden Gymnasium as part of our hometown heroes celebration.  If you're unaware, Brian became a Hall of Fame student-athlete at Daemen, only after serving in the U.S. Army in the early 1990's, including time spent on the frontlines of Operation Desert Storm.  His story is truly inspirational and we were more than happy to recognize him for his service to our country.
 
We will close out the month with athletic events far and near.  On Saturday, February 27, Daemen Athletics and the University at Buffalo will co-host a Women and Girls in Sport Day at the Lumsden Gymnasium from 9-11 a.m.  The event aims to introduce a variety of sports to girls from elementary and middle schools in the Amherst, Sweet Home and Cleveland Hill school districts.  The following day (Sunday, February 28) is our New York City Alumni event held in conjunction with the final basketball game of season against Queens.  Join us at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday for pre-game tailgating appetizers and soft drinks at Phil's and Sons Pizza located at 5729 Main St., Flushing, NY 11355. Please email Amanda Zanghi at azanghi@daemen.edu for more details.
 
As always, thanks for cheering for the Daemen Wildcats and please do not hesitate to contact me at bniland@daemen.edu if you wish to further discuss the direction of our program.
 

Bridget Niland
Director of Athletics