The Year in Review

From best to disappointing and in between, the sports staff compiled our list for the year that was. Coaches, varsity teams, club teams and athletes have all been analyzed and sorted. We would like to hear your input. Leave a comment or send an e-mail. We're always interested in what you have to say.

-Your Sports Staff
udreviewsports@gmail.com

photos courtesy of Sports Information

Best Club Teams

Male:

1. Men’s Crew:

The men’s crew team struck a repeat performance of last years effort at the Dad Vail Regatta, held May 8th and 9^th in Philadelphia, after tying Buffalo for the overall points trophy with 30 points, and tying Michigan for the men’s points trophy with 28 points. The varsity lightweights won their event, defeating 12 teams on the way to their gold medal. The heavyweight and lightweight novice crews both received silver medals in their respective events. The novice heavyweights were able to win the time trials Friday ahead of 30 teams, and their semifinal Saturday before falling to Michigan in the final, while the varsity lightweights were defeated by Milwaukee School of Engineering. In their final on Saturday, the varsity Heavyweights Eight, did not advance out of their semifinal. Earlier this year, the team also competed at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The varsity lightweights once again struck gold, along with both the novice Lightweight Eight and second novice Lightweight Eight crews. The novice heavyweights also received silver while the varsity Lightweight Four and JV Lightweight Eights placed third. As for other large regattas, the Hens also competed in the Knecht Cup and Murphy Cup. At the Murphy Cup, the first spring race of the season, the Novice Eight placed second, along with the Lightweight Varsity Eight. In addition, the team had a number of smaller races against prominent programs in the Eastern Sprints League, including Rutgers, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Navy and Holy Cross. In the race against Holy Cross, Delaware was able to row to victory in the second Varsity Eight, novice Eight and second novice Eight events. Despite the team’s disappointment, their performance as a club team competing against many varsity squads certainly makes them one of the best teams in the school, perhaps overall.

2. Men’s Hockey:

The men’s hockey team did not finish at the national championships quite the way they wanted to this year, falling in the second round of the American College Hockey Association national championships to West Chester, 6-2. However, a 26-6 overall regular-season record earned them the honor of second-best club team this year. The Hens were able to split with some of their arch rivals, including Penn State, Rhode Island, and Navy. A number of rookie players, including Andre Menard and Kevin Miller, made a huge impact for their first years, scoring 22 and 20 goals, respectively. Senior Mark Gardner also had an impressive performance in the 2008-2009 season, chipping in a season-high 25 goals. As for assists, Miller had a season-high 37, while Gardner had 33, Menard had 22 and senior Joe Baumgartner had 24. The 2008-2009 season was the second straight season Delaware finished with 26 wins, while Gardner was also named ESCHL player of the year for the second straight season as well. In the playoffs, the Blue Hens fell in the ESCHL championship game to Penn State before losing in the second round of the ACHA national championship to West Chester.

3. Men’s Rugby

Female

1. Rugby:
Although women’s rugby may not be the best known women’s club team at the University, they have had the best performance of any women’s club team this season. The Hens finished 6-1 overall in 2009. Delaware, ranked 7th going into the national tournament, returned from the opening rounds in Florida with a berth in the Final Four of USA Rugby National Guard College Championships, held at Stanford University in California. The lady Blue Hens defeated University of Central Florida, 24-15 and Slippery Rock University 24-21, in order to advance. This was the first time in the team’s 16-year history they had advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Delaware was defeated by Stonehill University in the semifinals 27-12. Shippensburg University won the national championship, but the Delaware women certainly had a great ride throughout. The team tried to improve their conditioning this year, in order to put them at an advantage when facing teams they had never played before as well as playing sometimes two 80-minute matches per day. Their efforts certainly paid off, as the lady Hens defeated every one of their regular-season opponents. Delaware was able to hold off West Chester University, 20-13; Towson University, 22-0; LaSalle University, 15-7; and the University of Maryland, 14-7. Delaware’s only regular-season loss came in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union, where the Hens fell 0-31 to defending national champion Shippensburg. In addition, senior Kimberley Lane, who plays in the wing position, was named to the Division 2 All American First Team squad, selected by the USA Rugby Association. Only being a club team, the Hens practice on Frazier Field, and the infirmary field next to student health, but the hard work and dedication of the 39 women of the team led them to their best season so far.

2. Women’s Hockey
Just like their male counterparts, the women’s ice hockey team at Delaware did not exactly have the season they envisioned, but finished off the season with an impressive 15-3 record. Their only regular-season losses came to the University of Pennsylvania, whom they fell to twice, 10-1 and 7-2. In the Delaware Collegiate Valley Hockey Conference, the lady Hens, ranked second going into the tournament, finished third after falling to the third-ranked University of Virginia, 4-3. Delaware then was given a spot in the consolation final, where they defeated West Chester University, whom they had already overcome four times previously in the 2008-2009 season, 4-2. Rookie goalie Brie Scolaro only allowed 29 goals during the regular season, with a save rate of 91.9 percent, while junior center Brittany Sheldon led the team in goals with 12. Junior center Katie Keeports also chipped in 11, while freshman Sara Naguib added 12 assists. Scolaro, Keeports, and Bethany Alik also all earned spots to play in the DCVHC All-Star game, while Scolaro was also nominated for the league’s Most Valuable Award for the 2008-2009 season. The women’s team’s performance this year shows a bright season for them next year.
3. Synchronized Skating

Most Disappointing

1. Men’s Lacrosse

Coming off a 9-7 performance in 2008, including a third-place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association standings, the University, as well as the nation, expected a bright season from the men’s lacrosse team. Delaware lacrosse was picked to finish second in the CAA, along with Curtis Dickson as preseason player of the year. Delaware also received several votes in the national polls. In top-25 preseason rankings, the Inside Lacrosse/Faceoff Yearbook listed them as 20th, while the Hens were picked as 23rd in the LAXNews.com preseason poll. After their first game against St. Joe’s, Delaware also showed great promise after winning the game, 13-2. They were also picked to play in the Big City Classic at Giants Stadium against Hofstra, along with perennial powers North Carolina, Virginia, Syracuse and Princeton. Unfortunately for the Hens, they could not live up to the expectations after finishing 5-10 overall, and 2-4 in the CAA. The Hens suffered a number of close losses to Fairfield, Towson, Drexel and Hofstra, but fell hard to then-nationally ranked teams Georgetown, UMBC and Brown. Delaware also missed a chance to even secure a playoff berth in the CAA tournament after dropping their last (and perhaps the most crucial) game, to Drexel, 8-10. Before 2009, the Hens advanced to the semi-finals of the tournament every year since 2003. At the end of the season, six members of the Blue Hen lacrosse team were named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association first, second and all-rookie teams, but considering what many predicted the outcome of the season to be, the lacrosse team certainly did not live up to their potential this year. The Hens will return a number of key players , including Curtis Dickson, but expectations may not be what they were this year.

Best Moment

Male

Pat Devlin’s Transfer

After coming off a historic football season in 2007 that saw them make the National Championship, the Hens had high expectations for the 2008 season. These expectations were met with nothing but disappointment as the Hens struggled to an under .500 record finishing 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the CAA. The season was especially frustrating due to an enormous amount of injuries and inconsistent play at the quarterback position, which left fans wanting more, as the team could not find a suitable replacement after the amazing year of Joe Flacco in 2007.

With no experienced QBs returning for the 2009 season it looked like it would be another season of disappointment. That all changed when former Penn State University QB Pat Devlin announced his intention to transfer in the winter. Devlin, an outstanding recruit in high school at Downingtown East High School in Pennsylvania, still holds the state high school record for passing yards with 8162. More importantly Devlin has had playing experience in college during his two years at Penn State, accumulating the game winning touchdown run in Penn State’s victory over Ohio State earlier in the season.

Devlin immediately impressed when he arrived in Delaware for preseason workouts and practices. In the Blue-White Spring Game Devlin was outstanding completing 24 out of 31 passes and threw for 304 yards and a touchdown.

Despite only being on campus for a limited amount of time, Devlin has already given the fans a lot of hope for another successful season in 2009. He looks to follow the Joe Flacco-transfer model and have a great career at Delaware and contend for championships.

Female

Elena Delle Donne

In late August of 2008 Elena DelleDonne shocked the women’s basketball world by deciding to forfeit her full scholarship to the University of Connecticut for basketball and attend Delaware instead. DelleDonne chose to give up basketball due to burnout and walked on to Hens’ volleyball team as a freshman despite only having one year of playing experience at her high school.

Her story received national attention as she was featured on ESPN’s Outside the Lines in late December. After years of doing something she did not have a passion for DelleDonne had a great debut season on the volleyball team and was an integral part of their success in winning the 2008 CAA Conference Championship and making the NCAA Championship. Despite her limited experience in the sport DelleDonne was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team and named Rookie of the Week three times which is a testament of just how great an athlete she is.

More importantly than her accolades and success on the court however, is that DelleDonne is finally doing something she enjoys.

"Now that I play volleyball, I know how it feels to have a passion for your sport," she said in her interview to ESPN. "Before, I just thought, 'Maybe everyone's faking it because this is horrible.’”

No matter what she does in the rest of her career at Delaware DelleDonne still has a great story as she rekindled her love for competition and has a bright future at Delaware.

Best Athletes

Male

1. Curtis Dickson

When Hens attackman Curtis Dickson scored his 100th goal of the season in the season finale versus Drexel, he became one of the few bright spots in the mens' lacrosse '09 campaign. The goal made the British Columbia native the 13th player in Delaware history to reach 100 goals, and he still has another year of eligibility left.

Dickson ranked second in the CAA in goals per game, scoring 33 over the 15-game season. To add to that, he had 12 assists to increase his point total to 45 points in the season—the best in the conference.

In fact, Dickson scored at least one point in all 15 games, a streak which he has continued over the span of three seasons and 40 games. It is the longest point streak in NCAA Division I lacrosse.

His statistics were good enough to earn him First Team All-CAA honors for the 2009 season. It is the third straight season Dickson has been recognized by the CAA, including earning a spot on the All-rookie team in 2007, when Delaware made its way to the Final Four.

2. Hans Gillan

Junior swimmer Hans Gillan led the Hens in an outstanding '08-'09 swim campaign. Like Dickson, the swimmer is making news not just at Delaware, but throughout the CAA and the entire NCAA.

Gillan set new conference records in the 100 butterfly, posting a score of 47.35, and the 400 freestyle relay where he contributed to a 2:57.73 score. The scores were good enough to earn him 1st team all-CAA honors.

Gillan also earned 2nd team all-CAA honors for the 100 freestyle and the 200 freestyle relay. He earned 3rd team honors for his contribution in the medley relay.

3. Austin Longacre

Female

1. Jess Cerveney

The women's lacrosse team had a breakthrough year in their '09 campaign, marching their way to a 10-8 record (5-2 CAA) and a trip to the CAA finals. Although they lost to Towson in the championship game, the trip would have been unlikely without the contribution of goalkeeper Jessica Cerveny.

The senior put up impressive numbers, starting for the Hens for four straight years. No year was more successful than this year, however, as she was atop the conference standings in almost every statistical category for goalkeepers.

Cerveny led the conference in goals against average allowing 8.54 goals per game. She ranked second in save percentage at .494 and fifth in ground balls per game at 2.7. Put together, she racked up 133 saves and allowed 136 goals while playing the entire 60 minutes in all but one game. On April 10th, she allowed only three goals against Drexel—a CAA season low.

Her numbers were good enough to earn her First-Team All-CAA honors for the second straight year and propel her status to among the top womens' lacrosse goalkeepers in Delaware history.

2. Stephanie Barry

Hens' junior libero Stephanie Barry continued in her efforts to carry the women's volleyball team to a CAA championship in their 2008 campaign. Barry posted impressive numbers while earning First-Team AVCA All-Region Honors as well as All-American honors for the second straight season and earning her team a bid to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.

Barry also made her mark in Delaware history. Her league-high 682 digs was the third-highest single-season total in the history of the volleyball program. She also posted a 5.33 digs-per-set average. She was also the first player in Delaware history to earn All-American honors when she did so in 2007. Her repeat in 2008 just added to her accomplishments.

3. Katie Dennehey

Best varsity teams

Male

1. Swim

The swimming team had an impressive year, finishing third place overall in the CAA Championship after an 11-2 season. In addition to their third-place finish, eight members of their team earned CAA All-Conference honors, six of them serving on multiple teams.

Junior Hans Gillan, who transferred from the University of Georgia last year, was a huge addition to this year's squad. Gillan earned five CAA All-Conference honors, including two first team honors, two second team and a third. Newark native Grady Carter also contributed heavily in his sophomore season and earned five CAA All-Conference honors as well. Carter earned first-team honors in three categories: the 200- and 400-freestyle relays and the 400-medely. He also earned second-team 50-freestyle and third-team 100-freestyle.

Senior John Ohlhaver capped his career by earning four all-CAA titles. He earned first team in 400- and 800-freestyle relays, while taking second-team in the 200-freestyle relay and third-team for the individual 200-freestyle.

Their strongest outing this season was at the Loyola Invitational, where the Hens beat Loyola, Marist and Villanova by a combined 168 points.

2. Baseball

The Hens summoned all their strength and swept the Virginia Commonwealth Rams this weekend, boosting their record to 27-18 and 11-10 in the CAA, which was good enough to earn them the sixth seed in this year’s CAA playoffs. The reward for their strong finish: George Mason, regular-season champions with a dominating record of 40-10 overall and 19-5 in the CAA.

The contribution came from everywhere this year, with their everyday players batting in at least 27 runs apiece. Carlos Alonso made it on base every game this year and held team-highs in batting average (.387), hits (74) and runs (56). Ryan Cuneo accounted for the most run production this year with 16 home runs and 54 RBIs.

3. Basketball

Female

1. Volleyball

Despite a seemingly average 19-16 overall record (9-5 CAA), the volleyball squad surprised everyone and repeated as CAA champs before losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Oregon. Delaware was the first repeat CAA champion since George Mason repeated in 2002 and 2003.

Elena DelleDonne only played one year of volleyball in high school and led Ursuline Academy to a championship during that season in 2007. Everyone assumed volleyball was over for her, but after a controversial end to her basketball career at the University of Connecticut, she decided to return to volleyball after transferring to Delaware. She produced well for a rookie and earned CAA All-Rookie honors. She also led the team in blocks, averaging just under one block a game. She came in second with a .223 hitting percentage.

DelleDonne wasn't the biggest performer, however. Junior Stephanie Barry earned first-team All-East Region for the second year in a row, voted in by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She was only the fifth out of 14 to receive the honor for the second straight year, and she deserved it. She also surpassed 25 digs on eight different occasions.

2. Lacrosse

After a 10-8 season (5-2 CAA), the women's lacrosse team finished second in the CAA tournament, losing a hard-fought game to Towson 8-7.

The leading members of the squad were honored accordingly by the CAA with five Blue Hens earning All-CAA honors. Goalie Jessica Cerveny and Erin Zimmerman, both seniors, earned first-team honors. Senior captain Deb Sloan and junior Emily Schaknowski earned second-team, while freshman Stephanie Allen earned All-Rookie honors.

Cerveny played outstandingly for the Hens all year and earned first-team honors for the second straight year. She played every game and played the full length in all but one game. She allowed an opponent-low three goals against Drexel and saved 14 on three different occasions.

3. Swimming

Athlete Most Likely to Succeed in the Pros

Ronald Talley

Senior Ronald Talley, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent.

Talley will fit into defensive coordinator Dom Caper’s 3-4 defense as a run-stopper. While he is not likely to start, he can provide solid depth for the Packers’ rebuilding defense.

Talley’s size, along with his high character and good work ethic, will undoubtedly carry him far. After a few years in the NFL, he should be able to learn and understand an NFL defense.

Despite playing in a 4-3 defense at Delaware, he should be able to adjust in Green Bay and we can expect he will become a key role-player.

Talley garnered high-pressure, big-game experience after competing in the NCAA championship game in 2007.

This past season, Talley had 30 tackles and eight tackles for loss, as well as 3.5 sacks.

While we might not see this production in the 3-4 defense, Talley still has the talent and work ethic to become a solid role-player for any NFL team.

Best Coaches

Male

John Hayman

For Delaware men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach John Hayman, the Colonial Athletic Association meet 25th-28th was a record-setting day. The men’s team broke four school records and claimed three CAA championship titles. The women's team posted eight top-five CAA finishes.

The men's team finished third in the CAA championships this year and went 11-2 in dual meets. The women's team finished sixth at the conference championships and earned a 9-3 record in dual meets.

This year marked Delaware swimming and diving head coach John Hayman seventh CAA Co-Coach of the Year award. Hayman, who is one of the longest-tenured CAA head coaches, continued his past success through his 20th season with the Hens this year.

Nine athletes from both teams received CAA All-Conference honors.

Hayman coached the Delaware men's team to four conference titles, and the women’s team to two since coming to the university in 1989.

With dual meet records of 156-76 on the women's side and 109-114 on the men's side, Hayman’s combined dual-meet record at Delaware is 265-190 (.582).

Hayman coached the men’s team to third-place conference finishes in 2007 and 2008 after coming off six years of bottom-half finishes since joining the CAA.

Female

Bonnie Kenny

Reigning champ
p Bonnie Kenny first earned her Delaware’s Best Female Coach title after leading the No. 3-seeded Hens to a first-ever Colonial Athletic Association volleyball championship in 2007.

In 2008, her seventh year with the Hens, Kenny felt the sweet satisfaction of starting a winning streak in the CAA championships, and for the first time in Delaware volleyball program history, breeding familiarity with NCAA tournament action.

Kenny had seven returning players and six freshmen on her 2008 squad.

The Hens took on several NCAA 2007 tournament qualifiers, including Michigan State, New Hampshire and Syracuse from the 2007 Sweet Sixteen, this year and proved themselves worthy opponents.

After a shaky start to the season, the Hens picked up momentum and, racking up wins, achieved the strongest finish of any Hens team for 2008.

Kenny has a record of 465-348 overall and 125-96 at Delaware.

When she became volleyball head coach, she turned the team around from a streak of four losing seasons.

Kenny also received her second CAA Co-Coach of the Year honors.

Under Kenny, the Hens finishing record was 19-16 overall

Best Transfer

1. Hans Gillian

Hans Gillian arrived at Delaware in the fall of 2008 after transferring from the University of Georgia and then proceeded to break numerous school and CAA records. Gillian’s biggest accomplishment came at the CAA Championship meet when he won the 100 meter individual butterfly smashing the old conference record of 48.44 with a time of 47.35. This time qualified him for the NCAA National Championship meet. Also at the CAA Championship Gillian anchored the first place and CAA record-setting 400 freestyle relay that finished with a time of 2:57.73, which qualified the relay for the NCAA National Championship meet as well. These two victories led the Hens to a third place finish with 491 points.

Gillian was named the CAA swimmer of the week three times during the course of the season and achieved many postseason accolades. Gillian was named to five of the CAA All-Conference squads at the season’s end. He earned first team honors for his record-setting swims in the 100-butterfly and 400-freestyle relay. He also earned second-team honors in the 100-freestyle and 200-freestyle relay as well as capturing third-team nods for his efforts on the 400-medley relay squad.

2. Elena Delle Donne

Elena Delle Donne not only transferred from the University of Connecticut to Delaware but she also completely switched sports from basketball to volleyball. Remarkably she was able to make the volleyball team as a walk on despite only having one year of prior volleyball experience in high school. Even more outstanding was how good of a player she developed into and played a key role in helping the Hens win the CAA Conference Championship and advance to the NCAA Championship.

Delle Donne was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team at the season’s conclusion and was named CAA Rookie of the Week three times over the course of the year. She was fourth on the team in kills with 235 and average 1.93 a game. Delle Donne was also named Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association State Athlete of the Year for 2008 and was named to the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

3. Junior Jabbie